


A Touch Of Cinnamon

by Peach_and_bugs



Series: A Touch Of Cinnamon - KyaLin Modern AU [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Canon Lesbian Character, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:48:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27501829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peach_and_bugs/pseuds/Peach_and_bugs
Summary: Kya traveled the world and became a renowned marine biologist. Lin stayed close to home and became a forensic science professor.Now, Kya is back in the city after 30+ years of avoidance, teaching as an expert in a few courses at RCU (Republic City University), where she will have to face Lin and their relationship once again.//CW posted per chapter//
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Lin Beifong/Kya II, Lin Beifong/Tenzin (mentioned), Pema/Tenzin (Avatar)
Series: A Touch Of Cinnamon - KyaLin Modern AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128692
Comments: 94
Kudos: 228





	1. Coffee Creamer

**Author's Note:**

> I needed a break from "I Think I Dreamed About Her" due to burnout and writer's block. I saw people doing professor AU's for KyaLin week and I and a HUGE sucker for Teacher/Professor AU's (I think it's because I want to be a teacher someday), so I had to write something! 
> 
> I will still be working on ITIDAH, and it will definitely get an ending, but I needed to work on something else for a little bit to mix things up. 
> 
> This will be filled with way too many pop culture references since it's a modern Au, and I'm keeping roughly the same age gaps for most of the adults that I have in ITIDAH.

The car’s trunk slammed shut with a satisfying click before Kya turned around with a wide smile. The trunk was packed with everything Kya would need for her life across the country on the coast. She first turned to her misty-eyed mother who hugs too tight, then it's on to her father who failed to hold it together till she left. 

Then it’s onto Bumi and Tenzin. Bumi gave her a huge hug, spinning his sister around in a fit of laughter before putting her down in front of their younger brother, who got a hug as well as a rough tousle of the hair that he strongly protested to. 

More family and friends followed and Kya was ready to leave before she realized who was missing. Everyone else had gone back to the going away party, giving the two girls a minute alone before it was time to leave. 

She found Lin sitting under the big tree in the front yard. They used to run around that very tree on summer afternoons in the past, making up great stories and adventures. Shadows from the leaves spotted Lin’s solemn expression. She seemed focused on something across the street, but Kya couldn’t figure out what. 

The older girl dropped down beside her, leaning her back on the rough tree bark as she stretched out her legs in the warm summer grass. Lin stayed curled in herself, her arms crossed on top of her knees. She pressed her cheek against her arm, still staring forward. Strands of black hair fell on her face and Kya gently pushed them behind her ear. She felt Lin slinch under her touch, but she didn’t pull away.

“Why the long face, Chief?” Kya asked in a chipper voice, tilting her head forwards, a few strands of hair escaped her high ponytail and dangled in front of her face. The nickname had originated from their childhood when Lin insisted she was going to be just like her mother. 

“Do you have to go now? Summer just started…” Lin’s voice was a whisper as she picked the grass next to her. Kya frowned, resting her cheek on her shoulder. 

“This is an internship I can’t pass up. It’ll help me get into some better classes next year and progress my degree.” the frown on Lin’s lips deepened as she explained. “Hey, don’t give me that look. It’ll be alright. I’ll visit when I can and we can write.” She lightly shoved Lin’s shoulder. “You’ll have to keep Ten in check while I’m away though,” The younger girl’s cheeks flushed as she brought up her brother, but at least she smiled. 

“Shut up! People might hear you!” Lin hissed, trying her best to sound annoyed, but there was a bubbling laugh in her voice that she couldn't hide. Kya rolled her eyes and grinned. 

“Kinda late for that. Practically everyone has figured it out by now.” Lin scoffed and turned her attention up to the breeze that rustled the leaves above them. Her gaze softened and Kya noted the way she swallowed heavily. She always did that when she was nervous. 

“I’ll miss you…” The younger girl sighed. Kya frowned and shifted to lean against her more. 

“I won’t be gone that long, and you’ll be too busy to miss me. You have Junior year to look forward to,” Kya pressed. She wrapped her arm around the younger girl, pulling her closer. “You have homecoming and eventually prom, and you’ll have so many other high school things to do that you’ll forget that I’m even gone,” she murmured, resting her cheek on Lin’s head. 

She stroked her hair as she spoke, breathing in the warm summer scent from Lin’s hair. She felt arms wrap around her and held her gently.

“I guess…” she murmured. “It won't be the same without you though,” Kya nodded slightly, placing a quick kiss on Lin's temple. It was so light that she didn’t notice it. 

“I’ll visit as soon as I can. I promise,”  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
As college got busier by the year and classes began, Kya had fewer and fewer opportunities to come home. Her monthly visits were eventually limited to only holidays. Her weekly letters became every now and then letters. She worked through school and professors saw the potential she had, so she was offered more opportunities that she couldn't let go of. 

She started taking those opportunities whenever she could, even if they overlapped with her holidays or they would keep her away for a full summer. She traveled all around the world, learning about the wildlife that swam below her. 

She met all kinds of people, young and old. She learned about their cultures and relationships with the ocean creatures around her. She wrote papers about these discoveries and adventures. Papers that impressed people higher in her field that thought she could go farther. It became a cycle of discovery that she couldn’t get out of, but she didn’t have the desire to get out of it just yet. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been three years since graduation, seven years since she left home, and she was now 24. Kya sat out on the steps of the cool back porch, a mug of warm coffee in her hands in the wake of New Years. She’d managed to come home for the holiday for the first time in a few years. She enjoyed the time home and seeing her family again. It was nice to have some downtime from her busy life. She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard the back door slide open, but didn’t turn to look. 

“Enjoying yourself?” Tenzin asked as he stepped out and sat beside her with a blanket around his shoulders. Kya made a small sound of acknowledgment, sipping her coffee. They remained silent beside each other for what felt like hours before Kya said what had been on her mind.

“Why wasn’t Lin here more? Didn’t she always spend the holidays with us?” Kya asked, breaking the tension. She only turned her head halfway to meet Tenzin’s gaze. His brow was furrowed and he hunched his shoulders, starting forward as the sun rose. 

“She had some other stuff going on. School stuff. She’s simultaneously trying to get into the academy and finish school,” Kya nodded, but she wasn’t sure she believed him. Tenzin had never been the best liar, and she was good at reading people’s tells. He kept darting his eyes back at her like he was double-checking if his lie was convincing or not.

“That sucks. We barely got the chance to say hello,” Kya murmured into her mug, taking the last sip of her coffee. It was overpowered with cream and sugar that hadn’t fully mixed into the coffee, but she didn’t mind. Turning her gaze to Tenzin she noted the way he tensed before sighing heavily. 

“I promised I wouldn’t bring it up, but Lin had some,” He paused to find the right words. “Apprehensions about seeing you again...” he admitted. Kya arched an eyebrow, not sure what the problem was. Tenzin continued when she didn’t say anything. 

“As time went on and your career took off, you visited and wrote less. We understood because we’re your family, but Lin took it kind of personally,” he shrugged. Kya pondered what he meant and when it didn’t click he kept going. “You guys were best friends and when you left for school you both lost touch.” 

“Are you saying it was selfish for me to focus on my career?” Kya didn’t sound angry with this statement, though it did rub her the wrong way and she felt a knot form in her stomach. He shook his head quickly before continuing. 

“No, I’m not saying that. Lin had a hard time handling the distance and she got frustrated when you got distant from each other. She didn’t want to talk to you while you were home and lash out for something that wasn’t your fault.” Kya stayed quiet, staring into her now empty mug. In all honesty, she hadn’t realized their relationship was affected by her work and travel. 

The sun was about halfway up now and Tenzin stood from his spot beside her. He stretched out his arms and back, taking a deep breath of fresh January air.

“But hey, I’m sure you guys can catch up and get back to normal when you move back in a few months,” Tenzin said with a warm smile. He patted Kya’s shoulder as he went back into the house where their parents and Bumi had begun to stir from sleep. Kya didn’t look up. The grip on her mug tightened as well as the stomach knot. 

She hadn’t told anyone that she wasn’t moving back as she had planned. She had been offered another job in the Atlantic Ocean on a tiny island off the coast. She would be gone for up to a year and a half this time. It was a job she had wanted for a long time now, but as she thought about it her mind wandered to Lin and what Tenzin had said. 

Had her relationship with Lin changed more in the past years than she had realized? Sure, they weren't as close as before but they were still best friends, right? Kya put her mug down in fear of breaking it from her tight grip. She rubbed her hands between her knees as she thought things over. She didn’t exactly know what she should do, and part of her didn’t want to do anything.


	2. Campus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin is going for a coffee run before her next class when she runs into Kya, who she hasn't seen since Aang's passing.

Lin had a 45-minute window of time between her morning classes that she spent walking the campus and obtaining her second wind of cafe for the day. Her first class was filled with tired students that could barely keep their eyes open, followed by her second class where everyone was awake and ready to go. The shift between mellow and hyper confused her, and she needed her second cup of coffee to keep up.

She briskly walked the smell of wet concrete and leaves fling the air. There was a chill that caused goosebumps to form on the back of Lin’s neck, but she found it comforting. She always enjoyed the rainy, dark shift that the city took in the fall. She got to wear her fall wardrobe, which consisted of heavy sweaters, slacks, boots, and long coats that fit comfortably to her form. 

Today she had chosen a fit, green, buttoned blouse since it wasn’t too cold just yet, with a pair of charcoal grey pants that cut off right above her ankles. She wore a pair of chunky boots that had a slight heal to them, adding a few inches to her stature. 

Her greying hair was pinned back in its usual way, though a few strands always managed to wiggle out and she would periodically tuck them behind her ears. Before she left her classroom she had thrown on a comfortable coat that cut off just above her knees and tied around her waist.

She kept to herself, for the most part, only drawing the attention away from her thoughts when a student called to her and waved. She would simply nod with the smallest of smiles but kept going at her steady pace till she arrived at her destination, a small coffee shop on the opposite side of campus. 

There were other shops that she could have gone to that were closer to her class, but there was something about the long walk through the small college town that she would have missed otherwise. Upon arrival, she was pulled out of her head. She had been planning her evening in her head as she walked. When she opened the door, she felt warmth radiate from inside. 

The shop was small and rather rustic, with a quiet record playing in the background. The air was warm with a strong coffee smell that was evenly matched with a fresh, sweetness from the baked goods. Lin pulled out her phone upon noticing that her mobile order hadn’t been finished quite yet. 

She walked to the far end of the shop to lean against the wall and scroll through her news feed when she felt someone bump into her shoulder. Her eyes flew up from her phone and she was met with a brilliant blue that she practically drowned in. She heard the other person say something, but the words didn’t register. 

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” she squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, massaging her temple with her thumb and forefinger to get herself out of the daze. She heard old laughter that was so familiar it felt like a dream. Her eyes fluttered open and confirmed to her that this wasn’t in fact a dream, and Kya was standing in front of her with the biggest smile Lin had ever seen.

“Lin! It's been forever!” Kya sang, her arms wrapping around Lin before she could protest. The younger woman didn’t have time to register what was really happening and she stumbled back slightly. She awkwardly patted Kya’s back and the older woman let go. She frowned slightly when Lin wasn’t as excited to see her. The younger woman was too stunned to react the same, still shocked that after over 30 years she was seeing Kya again. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to spook you. I got excited,” Kya said with a forced laugh, taking a noticeable step backward and rubbing a spot on the back of her neck. Lin blinked a few times and shook her head. 

“No, no. It’s ok. I’m just - I’m just shocked,” she stammered. She had the urge to reach out and touch Kya’s cheek. Touch her and confirm that this was all real and not in her head. She didn’t do that of course. That would be rude and very uncalled for, but the desire was still there. 

“It’s been years since I last saw you. You look great,” She cleared her through and tried to sound natural. Her gaze trailed Kya up and down, taking as much of her in as she could before it seemed strange. 

Kya had tied up her hair, that seemed to be turning silver in her older age, into an elaborate bun with a few shorter strands left out. They applied to be grown out bangs that she had likely cut herself. She had a thick knit cardigan thrown over her shoulders with a university shirt underneath and she wore a pair of skinny jeans with flannel-lined duck boots. 

“Yeah, it's been a while…” Kya’s voice faltered slightly and her smile dipped. “Do you have a minute to sit with me?” She offered, her gaze focusing on an open table behind them. Lin nodded and pointed to the counter behind Kya. 

“Yeah, let me just get my drink. My next class isn’t till 9:00,” Kya nodded, taking the drink and bag that she had been holding to the table where Lin joined her once her mobile order was called and threw her coat over the back of her chair. They both shifted in front of each other, as though they were silently daring the other to speak. 

“So…” Kya murmured, her gaze darting up at Lin before it went back down to picking her fingers. Lin took a long drink at that moment, whether it was intentional or not was questionable. 

“So,” She responded. She never would have expected that interaction with Kya could have so much tension. Sure, they hadn’t had contact in a few years and that made things different, but Kya was never like this. Kya was never an anxious person. Lin’s mind began to wander and overthink, worrying that something had happened to her. Kya’s voice stopped her thoughts from becoming frantic. 

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry.” It was an abrupt proclamation and Lin arched an eyebrow. She wasn’t exactly sure where the apology had come from. Had they fought the last time they were together and she just didn’t remember. She could tell Kya was studying her expression and she continued.

“When I left for school that summer, I promised you I would be back. I think I broke that promise more times than I can count, and I’m sorry.” She elaborated. Lin nodded and took another sip of her coffee. She remembered that summer, and that promise. She remembered now how Kya hadn’t ever come home officially, and she remembered how much that had hurt. 

However, at the time, Lin hadn’t understood why it hurt so much. Sure, she and Kya had been best friends for years, and friends grow apart, but it had felt like a part of her died when Kya left. At this moment, her mind told her that she should still be mad. She should be furious and express all that hurt right then and there. 

Her heart on the other hand was just thrilled that Kya was here. She was here now and Lin didn’t want to let her go just yet. She didn’t want past anger to drive Kya away again. Seeing Kya filled her with a giddy feeling that she hadn’t felt in years. Maybe that was because she was with her best friend again? That was what it was. At least she told herself that was what it was. 

“It’s alright. I understand and I don’t blame you for wanting to get out of here,” She smiled slightly and shrugged. Now it was Kya that had the confused expression. 

“Still, I should have been better about keeping up with you. Once I left I just pushed everyone away, and that was never fair.” Kya averted her gaze again. Watching her from across the table, the older woman seemed so vulnerable, so small. Kya always had such a huge, bright personality, but that wasn’t the Kya she was seeing at this moment. 

Without putting much thought into it, Lin leaned forward and reached across the table, taking Kya’s hand into her own. She tried her best to ignore how soft Kya’s hands were, and she had to put in even more effort to ignore the way Kya’s thumb naturally stroked her knuckle in a rhythmic way that she couldn’t be doing continuously.

“Kya, it's fine. I got over it. You here now though,” She felt Kya grip her hand a little tighter. “Let's forget that it happened and catch up,” her voice softened slightly and she couldn’t help smiling slightly. Kya’s ocean gaze met her own, and she sadness within them faltered into a comfortable, familiar sparkle. Her lips curled into a familiar, lopsided smile. 

“Who are you and what have you done with Lin?” Her voice rang with bubblin laughter and Lin felt her cheeks flush slightly. She had always loved Kya’s laughter. She must have missed it more than she originally thought. She rolled her eyes at the comment and pulled her hand away, not wanting to linger for longer than she should.

“You've been gone what, 20 years? I’ve changed a bit,” she shrugged, leaning back in her chair and taking another sip of her coffee. She noticed that Kya’s phone flashed on the table and the time said 8:38. “Shit, I need to get to class,” she stood and was surprised that Kya followed suit. 

“Can I walk with you? I don’t have anything going on and I’d like to catch up more.” Lin gathered her things and smiled slightly with a nod. 

“I’d like that,” she pulled her coat back on, double-checking that she had everything before walking outside with Kya. they left the shop, cold air stinging her previously warm cheeks. “So, what brought you back here?” Kya had taken a sip of her coffee, not expecting the question.

“I was asked to come and help an old colleague with a few classes they've been teaching. They didn’t spend much time out in the wild so they wanted someone with a little more experience to help them out.” She explained. “I’ll be here for the semester, but I don’t know what I’ll be doing afterward.” Lin nodded. She hid it well, but she was filled with a thrilling feeling when Kya said she would be around for a while. 

“Are you staying with your mom?” Lin asked. She heard Kya snort in laughter before shaking her head.

“Oh no. I love my mother, believe me, I do, but there's no way I could live under her roof ever again. I’m renting a one-room campus apartment. It’s not very big but it’s got what I need,” she explained before turning the attention away from herself. 

“I looked up some of your papers and the classes you’ve been teaching. You’ve done well for yourself, Cheif,” Lin rolled her eyes but couldn't help smiling at the nickname. She hadn’t heard it in a long time, and while she despised it growing up, there was something comforting about Kya saying it again.

“That sounds pretty stalkerish if you ask me,” her voice was full of sarcasm and Kya scoffed, shoving her arm gently. 

“No, it's not! I was just doing some ‘where are they now’ research,” she retorted, hiding her grin behind the lid of her coffee. Lin smiled, noticing the way their fingers nearly brushed together as they walked. She pushed the thought away and returned her gaze to Kya. 

“I’ve been doing well. I tried joining the force with my mother, then the accident happened and those plans were pushed away. I enjoy teaching though. I have some interesting students that will probably go far in their careers.” She explained. Kya nodded, watching her as she spoke with an intensity that makes Lin more nervous than she realized. She caught herself staring again and cleared her throat. 

“What about you? You've been all over the world, and I’ve seen you on some of those nature shows.” Kya rolled her eyes at the mention of television. 

“Who’s the stalker now?” she laughs. Lin parted her lips to argue but Kya stopped her. “I’m kidding. Traveling has been the best part of my job. I love meeting new people, seeing new places, and trying new foods. The tv stuff is fine, but I don’t need it.” she shrugged. Before long Lin realized that they had made it to her building. She opened the building door and took Kya to her office. 

“Well, I have a class in about ten minutes,” she said as she removed her coat and straightened her hair. Kya nodded, standing in the office doorway rather than coming inside. 

“We should do this again since I’ll be around for a while,” Lin nodded with a small smile, even though she wanted to grin from ear to ear. “I’ll give you my number,” Kya offered, digging into her pocket and pulling out her phone. Lin followed suit, telling Kya her number. Within a few seconds, she received a smiley face text made out of a colon and a right parenthesis. 

“I’ll see you around then, Chief” Kya grinned, clearly proud of herself when Lin arched an eyebrow at the text. She reached out and pulled Lin into an unexpected hug. Her grip was tighter than Lin would have expected, but she found it comforting. 

From here Kya smelled like coconut and peach, likely from her shampoo. Lin felt herself linger in the embrace, making Kya be the one to pull away. Kya let go and took a step back, leaving with a small wave and a glint in her smile. Lin waved back as a warm feeling bubbled in her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dang, Lin is hella gay in this chapter lol


	3. Record Collection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Lin heads to her car, she runs into Kya along the harbor. They agree to get dinner and make a stop at Kya's apartment...

It was completely unnecessary for Lin to park as far from campus as she did. She could easily get a reserved spot close to her building if she wanted to with her status in the university. She happened to enjoy the long walk to her car in the afternoons, however. She had been forced to park far from campus her first few years of work, and by now she saw little point in changing the routine. 

The walk to her car took her past the small city harbor, which was right beside campus. She watched the small, swirling waves as she walked. Watching the water caused her mind to wander to Kya, yet again. They had texted for a little while after meeting up and gotten coffee once more before they got busy once the new semester started. 

Lin hadn’t admitted it to anyone, let alone herself, but she kept finding that her thoughts would always wander to the older woman. She wasn’t sure why exactly, and she was constantly scolding herself when it became a distraction. She tried to rationalize that it was just because Kya was back home and they had been childhood friends. It was nothing more than that. 

Now, she found herself thinking about Kya for probably the fourth time that day as she watched the chilled water to her right. Puffs of condensation were visible in the air when she let out a long, exasperated exhale.   
She stopped by a bench looking out on the water. She normally wouldn’t stop, but she needed a moment to think about things. She sat herself down, taking off her satual bag and setting it beside her on the bench. She clasped her hands, rolling her thumbs over each other as she thought things through. 

Lin had always gotten strong feelings about different things throughout her life, like most people. Thinking back, however, most of these strong feelings had been negative. Now she was reacting to Kya being home, yet she knew it was a good feeling. She enjoyed that it was a good feeling, but it frustrated her that she couldn’t define the true cause. Her gaze was too focused on the water in front of her to notice that someone had approached her. 

“Hey, Cheif!” Kya called. Her call startled the younger woman and her whole body visibly flinched, turning to Kya with wide eyes. “Shit Lin, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Kya’s voice had a layer of soft worry, but she still smiled as she approached. Lin’s gaze looked the older woman up and down when she stopped in front of her. 

She was wearing what looked like a high quality black and blue wet suit with a pair of pull-on boots. It wasn’t a conventional look, but somehow it worked on Kya. Her silvering hair was wet and pulled back, a few strands sticking to her forehead. She was holding what looked like a paddleboard and an oar in her hands.

“Aren’t you freezing?” Lin asked as a chill ran up her spine. She wasn’t sure if it was a cold chill, however. Kya blinked like she didn’t get the question before grinning again. 

“I went to the arctic for over a year during their winter. As an initiation thing, they made us jump into the water wearing practically nothing. Somehow we didn’t die of hyperthermia, but I haven’t been cold anywhere else since,” She winked, putting a hand on her hip. “Anyways, what’s brought you here, Chief?” Lin arched an eyebrow and smirked slightly. She grabbed her bag and stood up. 

“I could ask the same question,” she retorted. Kya rolled her eyes with a playfully exaggerated groan. 

“Alright, fine. I was looking for some microorganisms that I could use for my class. Of course, winter is on the way so those are pretty hard to find, but I got some good stuff.” she gestured to a small bucket by her feet that Lin hadn’t noticed. “Now that you’ve finished interrogating me, you need to answer my question.” she insisted. 

“I was heading to my car so I could go home.” She didn’t add the part where she couldn’t stop thinking about the woman in front of her all day. Kya smiled and nodded before she grew quiet. “Well, I’ll see you around,” Lin offered awkwardly, thinking that was the end of the conversation. She turned to leave before a hand grabbed her wrist. 

“Why don’t you have dinner with me,” She heard Kya offer. She felt heat rush into her cheeks and she tried to hide it, but Kya walked around in front of her, still holding her wrist. 

“I mean if you don’t have anything going on. There’s this adorable dine-in place that’s attached to a bookstore that I’d love to show you. It’s right by my apartment,” Lin had gotten lost in Kya’s sparkling gaze again and missed most of what she said. She swallowed quickly and nodded in agreement. 

“I can drive,” she offered, struggling to say more. Kya’s grip on her wrist was stifling, but not a painful kind of stifling. Lin could easily break free from her if she gently tugged, but her hand felt so warm despite the cold air surrounding them. 

“Great! Let’s stop at my place first so I can put these guys away and I can change,” She let go of Lin’s wrist to collect her things. Lin could still feel the warmth from her fingers lingering on her exposed skin, like a ghost of Kya still had a hold of her. She pulled her wrist into her coat sleeve, trying to keep as much of the warmth as she could. 

The remaining walk to Lin’s cars went by quickly and after a short struggle to get Kya’s things into the trunk they were on their way. They discussed the classes they had been teaching the past week and Kya periodically interrupted to give directions. They parked on the street outside of her building and Kya guided her inside. 

“It’s a bit messy since I’ve procrastinated unpacking some of my things, so be warned.” She said as her keys jingled and unlocked the door. Walking into the apartment Lin was hit with a strong smell that she couldn’t quite identify. It had a sugariness to it, but it almost had a bite like spice. It was a smell the perfectly fit Kya, what wit how kind and outgoing she was.

Kya disappeared into what Lin assumed was her bedroom, leaving the younger woman to wander the living space. Kya hadn’t been lying about her procrastinating. Lin would have sat down, but the couch was covered with half-packed boxes and books had been messily stacked on the coffee table. Lin noted that a few of them were queer romance novels that she had secretly read in the past. 

Across from the couch was a television stand that had a record player in the corner. Upon investigation, she found that Kya was still an avid record collector like she was as a teenager. She had a few boxes of the records labeled by decade, most of them from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. 

She recalled growing up with Kya and how she used to force Lin to listen to whatever new record she had gotten most recently. Most of the music she had listened to in her childhood had been introduced to her through Kya. She flipped through the box marked “’70s”, seeing familiar albums by Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, and ABBA, as well as many other familiar artists. 

Shortly, Kya emerged from her room, adjusting her clothing and putting in an earring as she approached Lin. She’d put on a cream knit sweater and a pair of denim overalls, and her hair had been dried and put up in a similar ponytail to before. Her earrings were simple crystal studs that had a hit of blue in them. It wasn’t exactly a fancy outfit, but Kya made it look like art on her. 

“Mom sent these over when I moved in. She kept the whole collection, which surprised me because she always threatened to sell them.” Kya laughed, taking out a Beatles album to admire it before she shrugged. “I didn’t ever keep a lot of stuff since I traveled so much, but it’s nice to have something to brighten things up while I’m staying.” Lin stayed quiet, but nodded, putting the album she had been holding back in its box. 

“I remember these from growing up. You introduced me to most of the music I listened to as a teenager.” Kya seemed surprised but grinned nonetheless. 

“I think I remember that. You always dreaded when I had enough money for a new record,” She playfully poked Lin’s shoulder before turning to the records again. “I’ll have to find a new record store. That way we can bring back that tradition,” Lin smiled and laughed gently. 

“I wouldn’t be opposed to that,” she admitted. Kya put the records back and looked at the time on her phone. 

“Well I’m getting hungry, so we should head out. It’s only a few blocks, so we can walk there if you want,” Lin nodded, readjusting the bag on her shoulder and following Kya out of the apartment. Kya grabbed a coat from a hall closet and threw it over her outfit. 

“Thought you didn’t get cold after the arctic?” Lin asked, bringing up their past conversation. Kya smiled and rolled her eyes slightly. 

“I don’t. But I still enjoy a warm coat.” she snuggled into her coat for emphasis and Lin scoffed slightly, shaking her head as they left the apartment building and walked down the street towards the place Kya had been talking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kya definitely listens to ABBA and Mamma Mia is one of her favorite movies


	4. Umbrella

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya takes Lin to a local restaurant and bookstore where they discuss their lives more and maybe even their past relationships...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I meant to get this finished over the weekend but our internet went out because of the weather, but it's back now!

The restaurant Kya had brought them too was on the smaller side, that was for sure, but it felt cozy rather than cramped. They had been promptly seated upon arrival at a corner table. They removed their coats and settled in, perusing the drink menus before striking up any conversation. 

Kya unconsciously bit at her thumbnail, deep in thought about how she wanted to deal with this. She had been enjoying rekindling her relationship with Lin, but that came with consequences. She noticed how Lin made her feel and it was a feeling she remembered having while growing up. 

She had no idea what Lin felt for her and she doubted she felt anything more than friendship, but a small part of Kya wondered if there could be something there, but she quickly pushed that idea way. She knew how she could be in relationships, and Lin of all people didn’t deserve that. She was pulled from her thoughts when the waiter showed up. 

After ordering drinks, the two women were left alone together again. Lin had put down her menu by now, likely having chosen her meal. Kya followed suit, mentally choosing her meal on the spot. She folded her hands on the table, but she found her thumb anxiously rubbing her other hand. She took a quick, practically unnoticeable deep breath before smiling and striking up a conversation. 

“I heard from a few people that this place was good, and the bookstore seems nice if you want to check that out after. I unpacked most of my books but I’ve read them all already.” Lin’s gaze seemed to dart back up at her as though she had been focused on something else before Kya had started talking. Kya did a brisk once over of her, studying her deminer. The younger woman seemed slightly bothered and frankly startled, which in turn unnerved Kya. 

“You ok Lin? You look like you saw a ghost,” she tried to joke and lighten the suddenly tense mood. Lin’s complexion turned bright red as she was embarrassed by being caught. 

“I, um, I noticed your ring, is all,” She stuttered, gaze darting back down to Kya’s folded hands. The older woman’s eyes widened and she looked down at her right hand. Panic flooded her body in an instant and she could feel a burning heat rising in her. 

“Shit, I’m sorry. I’m not engaged or anything, I swear,” Lin seemed to relax slightly with a short nod and Kya exhaled a small laugh, removing the ring. “I wear it to try and keep suitors away, generally men. I completely forgot that I had it on,” She tried to laugh through the explanation as a way to hid her boiling anxiety. Lin smiled now and scoffed. 

“That’s not a bad idea if you have to deal with people flirting with you all the time,” she arched an eyebrow, leaning forward slightly and Kya snorted. 

“It was more useful when I was younger,” she admitted, her smile growing slightly shy. Lin made a face like she didn’t believe that and grinned. 

“I doubt that. How many people have you had flirting with you since you got older?” Kya shrugged, not exactly sure. Lin gestured with the wine glass in her hand before taking a short sip from it. “Then I think it’s doing its job,” she said point-blank. Kya scoffed and rolled her eyes, but smiled all the same before she leaned forward slightly.

“Since we’re on the topic of relationships now, what about you? Any new bows catching your eye?” Kya would never admit it, but she had wanted to ask Lin’s relationship status since they meet again in that coffee shop. Lin blinked before taking another sip of wine and shaking her head slightly. 

“Nothing long-lasting in a few years. I had one more long relationship after Tenzin that lasted a year or so, but nothing since then.” She gestured to Kya. “I can assume that your not married or engaged,” She smirked as Kya scoffed with a shrug. 

“I haven’t had what you would consider a relationship since before dad died,” She admitted, averting her gaze slightly as her finger drew shapes in the tablecloth. She noticed how quiet Lin had gotten and looked back up. 

The younger woman had set her glass down but was still holding it in her hand. She seemed lost in whatever was going through her head as her gaze had locked on Kya. Her green eyes were focused and hard, yet they had been filled with something almost like grief. It unnerved Kya slightly, sending an anxious shiver through her. 

“Hey, you ok there, Chief?” she broke the sudden tension. Lin’s eye’s flutter shut for a moment before she made a sound of acknowledgment. 

“Sorry, that was just surprising,” Kya gave her a confused look and she elaborated. “I always thought you’d settle down eventually,” she explained. Kya nodded and shrugged. 

“I thought I would have too by now. Guess I got busy and forgot about that,” she tried to laugh it off, but deep down she still wanted to settle. Something would always go wrong though and by now she had all but given up on the notion. Before Lin could continue, their food had arrived and the conversation melted away.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lin had forced Kya to let her cover the dinner bill, and now Kya was dragging her to the connected bookstore to return the favor. 

“I never let people pay for me without getting something in return,” Kya insisted, taking Lin’s hand into her own as they entered the bookstore. Lin arched an eyebrow and grinned, causing the older woman to bat at her arm and roll her eyes. “Not like that! I just meant I would buy you a book,” She turned her face away so that Lin wouldn’t see the heat rushing to her cheeks. She heard Lin laugh behind her. 

“I didn’t say anything! And you don’t need to get me anything. I’m a grown woman with my own job and money.” Kya let go of her hand as she walked into an aisle marked “Romantic Fiction.” 

“Fortinoute for you, I’m also a grown woman with her own money and I don’t intend to take no for an answer,” She said matter of factly, only turning her gaze up to meet Lin’s as she began browsing. She found quite a few familiar titles and pulled a couple of new ones of the shelf as she browsed. 

Lin had walked around to the other side of the shelf. Kya could only see above her nose as she browsed the other shelf and she found herself periodically glancing up at the women across from her. As Lin browsed the books her eyebrows arched and changed shape with questioning consideration over every title she picked up. Kya couldn’t help finding the quirk rather cute. 

“What are you staring at?” Lin’s voice was soft but it had a twinge of laughter behind it. Kya panicked and pointed to a title behind Lin. 

“I saw that one on a blog the other day. It looked interesting,” she murmured, trying to hide her face behind the romance book she was holding. Lin laughed lightly and picked up whatever book Kya had pointed to. 

“Hm, never took you as the type to be interested in an in-depth analysis of Shakespeare?” Lin arched an eyebrow with a knowing smile as she passed the book to Kya from the other aisle. Kya hid her grimace and took the book. Lin was right, she had no interest in this at all. The book definitely clashed with her stack of smutty romance novels. She turned her gaze back to Lin with a forced smugness. 

“There’s layers to me Beifong,” Which resulted in a smirk from Lin as she rolled her eyes. “But I’ll have you put that back,” she said as she passed the book back to Lin, who gave her a questioning smirk as she took the book again. “I like to keep my intellectual and my fun purchases separate,” Lin obviously didn’t believe this, but she seemed to let it slide anyway. 

“Do you want to head out now? I have something you can buy me,” Kya looked down at the three books she had in her own hands and nodded. She joined Lin and headed to the register, taking her purchase and adding it to Kya’s stack. She arched an eyebrow slightly, grinning at Lin who rolled her eyes. 

“I didn’t know you were interested in sculpture,” Kya jabbed, opening the book and browsing at some of the pictures as they waited in line to pay. Lin rolled her eyes with a drawn-out sigh, looking up in an attempt to hide her flushed cheeks. 

“I’m interested in history is all. Sue me if I have an art hobby,” Kya laughed and jabbed her gently. 

“Hey, I’m only kidding. That's very interesting. Maybe we could go to an art museum and you can teach me all you know,” She suggested. Lin seemed a little stunned but smiled anyway. 

“I don’t know that much. It’s only a casual hobby,” She murmured, averting her gaze slightly. 

“You definitely know more than me,” Kya shrugged as she approached the counter to pay. Once Kya finished the transaction, they got two bags for the two of them. Kya dramatically gave Lin her bag and the younger woman couldn’t hide the small grin that formed on her lips. 

They walked out of the store beside one another, heading in the direction of Kya’s apartment again. The sky had darkened while they were inside and streetlamps illuminated the sidewalk. They chatted about weekend plans and grading assignments when Lin suddenly looked up at the sky. Kya gave her a puzzled look and before she could ask she felt the raindrops begin to fall around them. 

It wasn’t heavy enough to be called a storm, but it wasn’t a drizzle either. Kya could make out Lin’s scowl as the rain fell around them, but the older woman could only laugh. 

“Oh don’t make that face, it’s just a little rain. We aren’t far from my apartment and you can be on your mary way,” She chirped, poking Lin’s hip jokingly. She heard Lin grumble something under her breath, invoking another laugh from Kya, who began to skip and sort of dance in the rain. 

No matter how much she denied it, Kya was acutely aware of Lin’s fixated gaze on her. She attempted to pay no mind to it, but the small smile on Lin’s lips filled her chest with butterflies. She was pulled with a desire to confess everything to the woman watching her and kiss her right then and there in the rainy street, but she pushed the feeling away as fast as she could. 

Kya’s laughing smile faded away, but she still skipped toward her apartment. She knew what would happen if she confessed her feelings. She would get comfortable, then scared, then she’d run away. That wasn’t fair to anyone, especially someone as amazing as Lin. She stopped at her building’s door, now drenched from the rain. 

Lin stopped in front of her car, her gaze still fixated on the older woman. She approached her and frowned when she noticed Kya as no longer smiling and laughing like before. 

“You alright?” she asked, taking a wet strand of hair behind her ear. Kya sighed and smiled a forced smile, shanking her head. 

“Yeah, I’m all good.” She didn’t sound convincing though. “We should do this again sometime. It was nice to get out.” Lin nodded in agreement before pulling Kya into an embrace, then letting go and getting into her car. Kya stayed outside, waving and watching as she drove away. Once her car was gone, Kya’s smile faded back to a faint line as the rain fell around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lin: Blatantly showing that she thinks Kya'h hot even though she's trying to hide it.
> 
> Kya: Is she really flirting with me or am I dumb?


	5. Water Main

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya can’t make it to morning coffee so Lin visits her in her office with breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bold and italic words are text messages since this is a modern AU

Lin’s phone buzzed as she got settled in the front seat of her car. It was 6:15 in the morning and the last week of classes before students would leave for the long holiday break. She hadn’t expected a text from anyone, but when she noticed Kya’s name shining on her phone screen she couldn’t ignore the way her heart beat faster for a fleeting moment. 

_**Kya: Sorry, can’t make coffee this morning. Running late to class. Want to grab lunch later? I’ll pay :)** _

Lin frowned slightly, disappointed that they wouldn’t have their usual coffee meetup. She shrugged it off and responded in a quick message. 

_**Lin: Sounds like a plan.** _

She put her phone back into her purse and made the short drive onto campus. At around 6:30 she made it to her coffee shop, pushing the door open and instantly relaxing in the warmth that radiated from inside. 

She approached the barista, ordering her usual dark roast as well as whatever sugary drink Kya had been regulating that week. Now, it happened to be some kind of vanilla bean frappuccino that had too much foam for Lin’s liking.

The older woman always seemed to change her regular order, which Lin would find annoying in most people. With Kya, however, her indecisiveness was somehow charming. She also added a chocolate and blueberry muffin to her order. Unlike Kya’s wishy-washy behavior with drinks, she would always get the same pastry, without fail. 

The order came in after a few minutes of scrolling through the news and Lin thanked the barista but before leaving she paused, feeling like she was forgetting something. She remembered that Kya always added cinnamon to whatever drink she ordered. While Lin found it silly, she now found herself adding a heavy dusting of cinnamon to the other woman’s drink. 

After that, she hustled out of the cafe and to her car once more. She checked the time and had over an hour before her first class. Kya’s first class of the day would be starting before hers, but there would be enough time to catch her. She parked close to the biology building and walked through the halls till she found the office that had been given to Kya.

She knocked and heard the shuffling of papers and loud crash before a rather shrill voice called for her to come in. Lin opened the door cautiously, worried now about what she might find when she opened the door. Inside the office, she found Kya scrambling to pick up papers and it looked like she spilled a mug full of pens off of her desk. 

The older woman eventually stood and blinked in surprise to see Lin at her door. She stood up with the formally spilled papers now collected in her hands. Her appearance was slightly disheveled with a few strands of hair out of place, likely from her running late. She put the papers down on her desk and crossed her arms, looking Lin up and down as the younger woman nonchalantly did the same. 

Kya was wearing a cream, buttondown blouse with a black dot pattern on it that ruffled slightly around her neckline and sleeves. She must have been in a rush because she had skipped over one of the buttons towards the bottom. She paired it with a slim charcoal grey pencil skirt that loosely hugged the curve of her thighs and cut off right above her knees.

“What brought you to my neck of the woods, Cheif?” Kya asked, drawing Lin’s attention back up to her gaze. Lin swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat and heald out the coffee and bag in her hands. 

“You couldn’t make coffee since you were running late, so I got your order for you, just in case you didn’t have time.” Kya widened her eyes slightly, surprised by the gesture. Lin didn’t realize how out of character this must be till now. The momentary silence between them made her squirm and she felt a warm flush grow in her cheeks. 

“That’s so sweet of you Lin, thank you,” Kya said with a new grin as she crossed the room to take the order from her. Their fingers brushed as she took the coffee and Lin felt a jolt rush through her. She watched as Kya breathed in the drink’s sent, her shoulders hunching from the warmth. She turned from Lin and set her order on the desk. 

“Be careful where you walk-” Kya started as Lin followed her into the office. She was cut off when Lin was sent crashing into the floor. “Shit! Lin are you alright?” Lin realized now that the floor of Kya’s office was filled with boxes and that she had tripped over one of them. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” Lin laughed, slightly breathless as she stood up with Kya’s forced help. The older woman hauled her to her feet with an awkward smile. “What’s with all of this?” Lin asked, gesturing to Kya’s tornado of an office. 

“A water main broke in my rental place last night, so I need to move out for a few weeks because of damage,” Kya sighed heavily and shrugged. She was clearly more frustrated by her predicament than she was letting on, but she still smiled. 

“Shit. Are you ok?” Lin asked, readjusting her coat and stepping over boxes to sit in the chair parallel to Kya’s desk. Kya walked around the other side and waved her hand. 

“Yeah, it's all good. As far as I know, it was a few floors above me, but I needed to get out just in case. It was good that I barely unpacked anything though,” She laughed and winked slightly, which made Lin smile. Kya flopped down into her office chair and sipped her coffee. She made an odd face and when she had finished her sip she grinned at Lin.

“You remembered the cinnamon.” She satiated, leaning back in her chair and pointing to her coffee cup. Lin wasn’t exactly sure why, but she felt like when she was a child and Suyin had caught her writing about her crush in her diary. She darted her gaze away and shrugged as she itched the nape of her neck. 

“I thought you'd like it,” she muttered. She heard Kya laugh at her remark. It wasn't a hearty, full laugh like her usual, laugh. It was more like a humming sound from deep in her chest. If Lin had been closer to her, she probably would have felt the vibration from it run through her skin.

“I do like it, thank you.” Kya smiled and dipped her head slightly in a thanking nod. Lin bit her lower lip, trying to think of what to say next when her eyes were drawn to the boxes again. 

“Where are you going to stay now that you have to leave your rental place?” Lin asked, crossing her ankles as she shifted in her seat. Kya sighed heavily, finishing another sip of her coffee before she took a chunk off her muffin and picked at it. 

“I’ll, unfortunately, have to stay with mom, which I was hoping to avoid. Tenzin offered me their guest room but I don’t think I can live my nieces and nephews running around.” She shrugged as she ate another chunk of her muffin. She had put her elbows up on the desk and was leaning forward now. One of her fingers absentmindedly twirled a loose strand of hair as she spoke. 

Even though the desk was between them, Lin was aware of how close they were. From her side of the desk, she could make out every curve and freckle in Kya’s face. She’d aged beautifully, as Lin would have always expected, and the few wrinkles that she did have bent with the softness from her skin. 

Lin found her gaze wandering to watch Kya’s lips as she talked about her family. Was she wearing some kind of lip balm? Her lips have a slight shiny pink to them that seemed fitting when she smiled. Lin caught herself staring and forced her eyes up, only to find the Kya hadn’t noticed. When there was a pause, Lin spoke up.

“You could come live with me if you want,” she offered. Both women stopped, seemingly surprised by the offer. Lin would feel her palms growing sweaty as anxiety bubbled inside of her. Was that a strange offer? Would that sound like she was suggesting something else? She almost up and left without another word before Kya interrupted her rampant thoughts. 

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be in your way or anything,” Kya arched an eyebrow and after a breath, Lin shook her head. No going back now, she thought. 

“I have a spare room with an attached bathroom. It’ll be fine, and I’d love to have you,” She managed to smile, realizing that she really would like to have company for however long Kya would be staying. With the upcoming week off and holidays, it would be nice to have someone else around for a change. 

“That's so sweet of you Lin, thank you!” Kya grinned. Lin watched as she stood up and walked around the desk with outstretched arms. Lin rolled her eyes slightly and stood up herself, allowing Kya to hug her. The hug lasted a few seconds before Kya stepped back with a grin. 

“You do know that mom’s gonna make me bring you to dinner now, right?” Lin hadn't thought of that and internally groaned. 

“I’ll come by at the end of the day and we can load your stuff in my car,” she said instead with a small smile. Kya nodded and hugged her again, only slightly tighter this time. Lin hugged her back and when she breathed in the air around Kya, she noticed the hint of cinnamon that seemed to float around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't think I ever specified, but Lin and Kya are meant to be in their late 50's early 60's here, close to whatever age they were at the end of LOK.


	6. Sage Green Kitchen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya moves into Lin's spare room for the time being, but she panics about her feelings for Lin. She ends up calling for backup and plans a coffee date

Lin’s home was nothing Kya ever would have expected, yet it was still fitting for her in a way. Kya always seemed to forget that Lin came from money growing up. Now, she must have gotten some of that inheritance from her parents, and the teaching job wasn’t bad either. 

Lin’s home was on the larger side, with plenty of plant life in her front yard. The house was about two stories, painted a soft charcoal grey outside with dark green shutters. Walking inside Kya was surprised by the high ceilings and well-decorated walls. There was shockingly so much to look at, which contrasted Lin’s simplistic persona. 

“Guest room is upstairs. First door to the right. You have an attached bathroom up there, but I need to get you some towels,” Lin said as she locked the door behind them and removed her coat. Kya nodded and after marveling at the parts of the house she could see from the door, she made her way upstairs. 

The guest room was well kept and clean with a soft grey color scheme throughout it. Kya marveled at the bedding for a moment before dropping her bag and ducking into the bathroom. The bathroom was stocked with shampoo and conditioner, in case guests forgot their own. Kya wasn’t sure Lin had many people staying in her home often, but the gesture was rather sweet. 

Kya exited the bathroom, finding Lin standing in the doorway with a stack of soft grey towels and washcloths in hand. Kya smiled, approaching the younger woman and taking them from her hands. Lin stood rather awkwardly now, averting her gaze slightly. 

“Let me know if you need anything else. I don’t have guests that often, but I’d like you to be comfortable.” She seemed rather shy as she said it and Kya’s heart skipped a beat. Why did she have to be so sweet? 

“It’s great Lin. Thank you so much, again.” Lin nodded, looking up and meeting Kya’s gaze with a small smile. 

“I was going to make some tea and have something to eat. Care to join me after you get settled?” she asked. Kya nodded and grinned. 

“That sounds lovely,” Lin nodded before waving awkwardly and leaving down the staircase. Kya exhaled heavily once she had left. She felt like she was spinning and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She took the towels to the bathroom and sat on the bed, thinking things thru. 

She was now in a situation where she would be living with the woman she had a crush on as a teenager, and in the recent weeks they had spent together, those feelings seemed to be returning. Her hands trembled in her lap as her thoughts seemed to run a mile a minute. When she had enough of the internal panic, she dug her phone out of her bag and dialed. 

The phone rang a few times and Kya feared she would be sent to voicemail before a rather loud voice picked up. 

“Kya? How’s my baby sister!” Kya had to move the phone an inch or so away from her ear. 

“Did I get you at a bad time Bumi?” She asked, confused by all of the loud noise coming from the background. Gradually the noise subsided and Bumi stopped yelling, so he must have moved somewhere quiet to talk to her. 

“What? No, no. It’s all good. I’m just at a holiday party with some of my buddies is all. What’s up?” Bumi’s voice put Kya at ease slightly and she sighed. 

“I was just-” she paused, contemplating why she had called, “Just wondering when you were coming home. You’re staying with mom, right?” 

“Yeah, I fly in tomorrow morning. Should land around noon.” Kya nodded, making a mental note. “How’s the whole college thing going?” Bumi asked. 

“Good, good. The students are all great,” she lingered slightly as she spoke. Bumi paused and there was silence for a moment over the line. 

“What’s wrong? You sound all misty and distant,” Kya scolded herself. Her brother always knew when there was something up with her. 

“Can you meet up with me after you settle in at mom’s place? I’m having a bit of an issue and I’d like to talk in person about it,” she twisted a lock of her hair around her finger, a habit she picked up over time. 

“Of course. How about coffee at that place we used to skip classes in High School?” Kya could hear the grin in his voice and she rolled her eyes. 

“You mean you skipped class. I went during my study halls,” Bumi scoffed and Kya laughed lightly at the memory. 

“Whatever. That place at around 2:30 sound good?” 

“Yeah, that sounds great. Thanks, Bumi,” she sighed, relaxing in the reassurance that she could talk about her issue. 

“Anything for you, buggy” Kya raised her eyebrows at the nickname and laughed. 

“Oh wow, I haven’t heard that one in years! What was the story behind it again?” Bumi laughed over the phone. Bumi had so many nicknames for people, but “buggy” was rather obscure but one of his favorites.   
“When we were little you got freaked out by every bug you saw, even butterflies. No one knew why, but if any bug came around you, you’d have a crying fit. You used to ask me to protect you, and I would, but I got to call you buggy,” Kya smiled as she remembered. She thankfully didn’t have that problem anymore, (for the most part at least). 

“Well, you did a good job,” she murmured. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bumi. Thanks again,” her brother laughed and said his goodbye before hanging up. Kya sat on the bed for a moment longer, taking a deep breath before getting up to join Lin in the kitchen. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kya found Lin in her kitchen, leaning her elbows in the countertop of the center island beside the sink. She scrolled through her phone, not paying attention till she heard Kya come down the stairs. She smiled and put her phone screen down, standing up straight. She seemed nervous somehow like she had been caught slacking off. It was rather cute, how awkward she could be.

Lin had changed into what Kya could only assume were her comfortable clothes. A Republic City University sweatshirt with a loose pair of grey sweatpants. Kya smiled, noticing the assortment of snacks Lin had gotten out as well as a box of different teas and already boiled water. 

“I have way more teas than I’ll ever drink, so use whatever you like. Izumi sent me a collection of Uncle Iroh’s blends a while back,” Lin explained, drumming her fingers on the countertop. Kya nodded and leaned forward, perusing the box of teabags. She picked out a spiced ginger mix, inhaling a breath of it too deeply. She ended up sneezing and Lin failed to suppress her laughter. 

Kya felt her cheeks flush slightly, but she rolled her eyes and smiled as she put the teabag into the mug Lin had pushed her way. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug, hunching her shoulders with a shiver as she gazed around the kitchen in awkward silence. She was still surprised by Lin’s decorating taste. Her kitchen cabinets were painted a soft sage green with gold and white accents all around. She took a sip of her tea and wrinkled her nose. 

“Do you have any sugar or honey?” Kya asked, her gaze meeting Lin’s once again. It seemed like she had been watching the older woman, as her cheeks flushed when she was caught, but Kya didn’t mind. 

“Yeah, give me a sec,” Lin pushed off the counter and turned to a cupboard. 

“What about cinnamon?” Kya added, Lin turned her head halfway and arched an eyebrow. 

“Do you put cinnamon on everything?” she laughed lightly as she asked and Kya shrugged. 

“Only when it gets cold, and only on warm drinks. Hot cocoa with cinnamon is the best,” she grinned, absentmindedly taking another sip of the tea, only to wrinkle her nose, once again, at the bitter taste. Lin laughed at her as she passed the sugar to her. 

“No, I think I’m out of cinnamon, but I’ll get some for you next time I go shopping, how about that?” Kya smiled and mixed sugar into her tea. 

“So, what do you need to do this week? I’m grateful for you letting me stay, but I’d like to help you out in any way I can.” Lin shook her head and waved a hand. 

“Kya, it’s fine. You don’t need to do anything for me. You're a guest,” Kya frowned, taking another sip of her tea with a disappointed expression. Lin dramatically groaned and rolled her eyes. “Don’t do that,” She grumbled. 

“Don’t do what?” Kya grinned now, leaning forward more and resting her chin in her palm with her elbow propped on the counter. 

“Don’t pout. You're an adult,” Lin seemed to stutter slightly, not meeting Kya’s gaze directly. It was almost like she was gazing at some other part of her. 

“How about this, I go shopping tomorrow. I’m meeting up with Bumi at 2:30, so I'll be out anyway and I have the time.” Lin arched an eyebrow like she was unsure, “Come on. Just text me a list. Please?” Lin swallowed her pride and gave in, but not without an eye roll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of an abrupt ending, but I wasn't really sure where to go from here. I've planed out till chapter 13 but I'm not sure if that will be the end of the fic or not. 
> 
> This also turned into a holiday fic, which was never the plan, but I think it's a fun direction to go. Let me know your thought's in the comments!


	7. Vanilla Scone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya gets coffee with Bumi and confides in her brother about her issues

Kya anxiously checked the time on her phone as she waited for her brother. She rolled her eyes and sighed when she noticed that it was nearly 2:45 now. She blew up a strand of hair that fell into her eyes before deciding to Twitter and scroll through her feed to pass the time. 

She scrolled for a few minutes and smiled at a video about puppies meeting kittens for the first time. Without thinking much about it, she sent it to Lin. She didn’t realize she was smiling at her phone till she was interrupted. 

“Get a text from a girl?” a voice asked. Kya looked up with slightly wide eyes to fine her brother sliding into the booth across from her. She scowled and put her phone away. 

“No. Just a video,” She waved him off with a hand. “Did you order anything?” she asked, noticing he was missing a drink. 

“I arrived and ordered while you were making goo-goo eyes at your phone,” Bumi arched an eyebrow with a grin. Kya rolled her eyes but still smiled. She took a sip of her drink, a spiced chai tea with a sprinkling of cinnamon. 

“How was your flight?” Kya asked after setting her drink back down on the table between them. Bumi parted his lips with a shrug but was interrupted by his name being called by the barista. He dramatically rolled his head back, which Kya couldn’t help laugh at. He held up his pointer finger to say “one moment please” before sliding out of the booth to get his order. 

Kya pulled her phone back out as Bumi crossed the cafe to meet the barista. She had gotten a text back from Lin in regards to the video. 

**_Chief: Almost makes me want to get a dog_ **

Kya smiled at the thought and exhaled a quick sigh through her nose. 

**_Kya: You should! I bet you'd be a great pet owner_ **

Lin responded almost immediately. 

**_Chief: Keyword, “almost”_ **

Kya rolled her eyes at the reply and went to type a snarky remark, but stopped when Bumi arrived again. He had a coffee in one hand and a plate with what Kya assumed was a vanilla scone, one of Bumi’s favorite treats since they were teenagers. Kya always found scones rather bland and boring. It was funny that loud and exuberant Bumi liked them so much.

“You sure you wouldn’t rather text your mystery girl than talk to me?” he asked before sipping his drink. Kya rolled her eyes, sliding her phone back into her purse before crossing her elbows on the table. 

“It's not a mystery girl. It's Lin,” she mumbled. Bumi arched an eyebrow and Kya shook her head. “We can talk about that later. You were telling me about your flight before,” Kya insisted. Bumi, fortunately, didn’t press her about Lin, despite clearly being curious. She was grateful for that. 

“It was like any other flight. No issues or anything. I got an Uber to mom’s house and she has me all setup,” Bumi shrugged, pulling off a chunk of his scone and popping it into his mouth. 

“How long are you in town for?” Kya asked, distracting her brother as she reached across the table and snagging a bit of the scone for herself. She may not enjoy sones, but she enjoyed annoying her brothers. Bumi scowled but made no move to stop her. Kya only grinned. 

“I’m with mom for a week, then I go back till December. I’ll be staying with mom again for the winter holidays.” Bumi explained. Kya nodded, resting her cheek on her elbow. Her pointed finger traced the curved design that the wooden table had. “How’s the teaching job going?” 

“Good. I’ve enjoyed it. The students are interested in what I have to teach them, and they have their own stories to tell me,” Kya smiled. Her eyes darted to her phone when the screen lit up from a text. She hesitated before she brought up her relating news. “The University did offer me a permanent position starting next year. I haven’t decided if I’m taking it or not though,” She bit the inside of her cheek with anxiety. 

“That would be a big step for you, wouldn’t it? You’ve never been someone that settles in one place,” Bumi gave her a thoughtful look and Kya faltered slightly. 

“I would miss traveling, but maybe it's time to settle down. I mean, I’m not getting any younger,” She huffed, slouching slightly. “I’ve got time to think about that though. The school doesn't need an answer till summer.” Bumi nodded, but his gaze seemed to be studying her from across the table.

“There's something else though. Spill,” he asked, sipping his coffee again. Kya blinked at him and sighed. She knew talking about her issue would help, and Bumi was a good listener, but talking made her problem more real than she wanted it to be. 

“You remember how I used to feel for Lin growing up, right?” Kya asked. She averted her gaze, tentatively picking at her fingers with anxiety. 

“You mean that monster crush you had? Oh, I remember. Impossible to forget that,” He scoffed. Kya looked up and scowled at him, to which he only laughed. Kya groaned and rolled her eyes. 

“Well, I don’t think I’m as over her as I thought I was,” She mumbled. She could tell Bumi was biting back a snarky remark when her gaze darted back up to her brother. 

“Is that a big deal? Don’t you only see her at work?” Bumi questioned.

“Originally, no. It wasn’t a problem. But I was staying in a rental apartment for a while, and right after I moved in a pipe burst and I had to move out. I was going to ask mom if I could stay with her, but then Lin offered her spare room.” She paused for breath before continuing. 

“So now I’m living with the woman I’ve had a crush on since I was a teenager and the feelings are coming back and I have no idea what I should do.” When she was done, she buried her head in her folded arms on the table and groaned. “And if I take this job, then I’ll see her practically every day,” She heard Bumi laughing at her and felt a hand pat her head. 

“I haven’t seen a Kya meltdown like that in years,” her older brother teased. Kya peaked out from her arms and scowled at him. Bumi’s gaze softened and he managed to hold her hand in his own. 

“Sorry. I shouldn’t laugh, that's mean.” His voice was kind and soft. It reminded Kya of when she was upset as a kid and Bumi would comfort her, just like this. “Talk to me about it,” he insisted. Kya sighed and sat herself up, squeezing her brother’s hand as a little thank you. 

“You know about my issue with committing to relationships. Every time I’ve been with a woman and I start to feel secure, I freak out. I either mess things up or run away before I get the chance.” Bumi nodded as she went on. She twisted a strand of hair in her fingers as she spoke. 

“And I like Lin. I really do...” She trailed off slightly, not noticing the slight curl in her lips and the faint flush in her cheeks when mentioning the professor. “But no matter how much I might want her, she doesn’t deserve that. I can’t risk hurting her because of my issues,” She paused, pressing her lips together in a thin line. 

“But not doing anything to avoid hurting her is hurting you, because you love her,” Bumi said, trying to fill in the blanks for his understanding. Kya turned her gaze up and nodded. 

“I know she liked me before when we were teenagers. She was really bad at hiding it,” she laughed slightly and Bumi scoffed with a wide smile. 

“We all saw it from a mile away,” He added and Kya nodded before her smile turned down again.

“I don’t know what to do, Bumi. I want to tell her how I feel and act on my feelings if she still feels the same. I need to be able to commit this time. I can’t run away, but I’m not sure I can do that,” she admitted. Bumi nodded but otherwise said nothing. He seemed to be thinking about what he should tell her. 

“From what I’ve noticed with you and relationships, they all move pretty fast. How long was your longest relationship?” Bumi asked. Kya thought for a moment. 

“I’m not sure. Maybe a year when I was stationed out in the pacific?” She suggested. Bumi nodded. 

“And how fast did that relationship progress?” 

“I think we moved in together after 4 months, but I remember we had a 3-month break shortly after,” Kya wrinkled her nose as she recalled that relationship. 

“Take it slower. You rush into things and get bored easily.” Kya made a face and he shook his head. “That’s not a jab. It’s something I’ve noticed since we were kids.” Part of kya wanted to argue, but she let him continue. 

“Slow relationships might seem boring, but when you draw things out, you have more to look forward to,” Bumi suggested with a smile. Kya stayed still, mulling the suggestion over. She hadn’t ever thought of it like that, honestly. 

“But Lin and I are already living together. Doesn't that negate moving slow?” Kya asked and Bumi shrugged. 

“You aren't dating. Right now your just roommates and friends. If you can do that, then maybe you can think about moving to the romance zone.” Kya still wasn’t sure and fidgeted with her fingers, averting her eyes again. She heard Bumi sigh slightly and she looked up again.

“Just take things easy. You aren’t leaving for a while. There's plenty of time,” Bumi smiled and she nodded. 

“What about the job?” She murmured. 

“Maybe Lin would have better insight on that,” he suggested with a slight grin. Kya rolled her eyes and managed a smile. “You can also talk to mom when you come for dinner,” Kya nodded.

“I nearly forgot about that. Thank’s for the reminder,” Bumi looked at his phone, checking the time and sighing. 

“I should get out of here. Mom wanted me to help her with something.” Kya nodded, standing up and out of the booth with him. She collected her bag before Bumi pulled her into a tight, familiar hug. 

“Love you, little sis,” Bumi said affectionately, kissing Kya’s forehead before letting go of her and waving as he left. He backed out the door, pointing at her with finger guns and a wink. 

Kya smiled with a small laugh, rolling her eyes. She pulled her phone out of her pocket before she left, unconsciously smiling when she saw the Cheif had texted her once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love when fics have Bumi be the biggest KyaLin shipper. I feel like this chapter's ending was a little awkward, but that's alright. I have about 8 more chapters planned before this wraps up. 
> 
> I also ended up turning this into a holiday fic, which was completely unintentional. The cold weather must have influenced my creative process.


	8. Main St.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin has noticed something bothering Kya, but she hasn't brought it up quite yet. The two grab lunch together and Lin gets Kya to open up

Lin had been filing through her student midterm papers for the past few hours, crossing out misplaced information and writing constructive criticisms like it was second nature to her. She had gotten so lost in her work that she was surprised when she heard her stomach growl. She removed the reading glasses that had perched on her nose, checking the time on her phone. It wasn’t too early for lunch, so she gathered her papers and left her office for the kitchen. 

As she entered her kitchen and opened the stainless steel fridge, she felt a buzz in her back pocket. She pulled out her phone again and arched an eyebrow when she read Kya’s name. She’d stepped out earlier that morning while Lin had been at the gym. She clicked the green answer button, parting her lips to answer the phone, but the caller beat her to it.

“Hey! What are you doing right now?” Kya asked. It sounded like she was walking as she spoke and Lin blinked, not sure what to say for a moment. She leaned back on her kitchen island and crossed an arm over her stomach, tucking her hand under her other arm. 

“I was about to make food, why? Something wrong?” She asked. 

“I finished my shopping and I was going to grab something to eat. Thought I would offer to bring you something home if you want.” Lin smiled at the offer. She thought for a moment before getting an idea.

“I was going to run to the bank after eating. Why don’t I do that now and meet you somewhere for food?” She offered. 

“That’s great! Want to try that deli on Main?” Lin grinned at the sudden excitement from Kya. 

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll meet you in a half-hour,” She heard Kya’s car door open and there was a pause before she responded. She could tell that Kya had put her on speakerphone based on all of the shuffling noises over the phone. 

“Can’t wait, Cheif!” Kya called as her car door slammed. Lin laughed gently before she heard the phone disconnect as Kya hung up. She sighed and shook her head before leaving her kitchen to get a coat and shoes. 

Yes, it was true that she needed to go to the bank at some point that week. Did she need to do it that day? No. But saying that she needed to go was an excuse to get lunch with Kya because she would already be out. 

She had to admit, she had been enjoying her time with Kya and having her stay in her home. Sure, they weren’t together all the time and Lin still had her space, but the evenings where they both sat in the living room, Lin grading papers while Kya read a book, where something special.  
The older woman would curl up on the opposite end of the couch with a blanket over her lower half, and she’d murmur her thoughts out loud as she read. It was a quirk that Lin found quite amusing and it seemed like Kya had no idea she even did it. She’d miss it when Kya left again, but she tried not to think about it. 

Her mind wandered to Kya as she got ready to leave, recalling little changes in the other woman that she had noticed over time. She wasn’t sure what it was, and it didn’t feel like her place to ask, but there had been moments where Lin would look over at Kya and notice that she didn’t have her usual relaxed aridness. Her jaw would clench tight and she would fidget with her fingers. 

Kya had always been a very loose, still person. She was light and graceful in her movements, like water. When Lin noticed the tension in her physic, it worried her and made her think that there was something Kya hadn’t told her. When the tension started, Lin hadn’t paid it any mind, but it became more frequent when the two women spent time together. 

She’d decided to keep an eye on Kya to figure out what was causing these sudden moments of silent tension. She would recognize when it happened and what was going on around them. She tried finding a link between all the little moments, but so far she turned up emptyhanded. 

She pulled on a coat, tossing her keys, wallet, and phone into her pocket before pulling on her boots and heading out the door. A November breeze caught her in the face and she shivered, shoving her hands in her pockets. She got in her car and began the drive to the Main st deli.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lin parked her car and walked down the street towards the Delly, but she was surprised to find Kya outside, leaning against the wall beside to door. She was bundled in a thick white coat lined with fake fur that covered her top and torso, but Lin could see that she was wearing boots and leggings underneath. She wasn’t paying attention as Lin approached, studying something on her phone. 

“You could have gone inside you know?” Lin said with an arched eyebrow and a small grin. Her voice formed a small cloud of breath in the cold air. Kya looked up and smiled after a moment, shoving her phone in her pocket with a shrug. 

“I haven’t been waiting long.” she insisted, moving away from the wall and opening the door to the deli. Lin followed behind, breathing in the warm air that smelled like fresh bread and baked goods. They got in line to order before finding a table. Kya grabbed a menu and opened it up so that Lin could peruse it with her. 

“I’ve heard they have a good pumpkin soup here. Haven’t gotten the chance to try it though,” Kya murmured as though she was talking to herself out loud. Lin glanced up at her and smiled softly. She found it cute when Kya would think out loud like that. Silver strands of hair fell across Kya’s forehead and it took too much effort not to brush them away for her. 

They eventually got up to order, Kya getting the soup and a sandwich on the side while Lin got a salad that she normally would have for lunch during work. Kya had insisted on paying for both of them, despite Lin’s protest. They waited out of line, got their food, and settled in a small corner table. 

“How was shopping?” Lin asked before taking a bite of her salad. Kya finished the bite of food she had taken and shrugged. 

“Oh, fine. I just picked up some of my hair products.” She pulled apart the baguette that she had been given to put into her soup as she spoke. “I got coffee with Bumi the other day before grocery shopping. I can’t remember if I mentioned that.” Lin arched a brow and shook her head. 

“I think you mentioned he was in town. How’s he been?” Lin asked. She had never been all that close with Bumi growing up and they lost touch over time, but she was interested to hear what he had been doing. Kya smiled, eating a spoonful of her soup before answering. 

“He’s been good. He’s still in the military, even though he’s supposed to retire. He’s staying with mom for the holidays.” Lin nodded, picking to find a good bite of her salad. There was a pause before Kya piped up again. 

“Mom’s inviting us all to dinner Friday. She has all her kids home at once for the first time in years, so it’s kind of mandatory.” She shrugged with a small laugh. “You’d be welcome to come too,” Kya suggested. She seemed almost nervous asking. Lin glanced down at her hands, noticing how Kya was fidgeting. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose,” Lin started before Kya managed a laugh and shook her head. 

“You’d never be imposing. Mom loves you to pieces, but I understand if you don’t want to come,” Kya smiled, but there was a flash of disappointment in her gaze. Lin second-guessed herself for a moment, biting at the inside of her mouth.

“I have my student’s final projects I should finish grading. But over the holidays I would love to have dinner with you and your mom if you wanted to,” she suggested. Kya looked up at her again with a curt nod and smiled. 

“I think she’d love that,” Kya murmured. She went back to eating, but something about her seemed distracted. She was doing the thing again. Getting lost in her head, her jaw tensing and her fingers fidgeting. It was like she was getting lost in her thoughts and forgot where she was. Lin cautiously reached forward and touched her hand, and she jumped before nervously smiling. 

“Are you doing ok? You’ve been zoning out like that a lot lately,” Lin asked, anxiety itching the back of her throat as she worried she was overstepping. A flush filled Kya’s complexion and she shook her head with a put-on smile. 

“Sorry. I just have a bit on my mind is all,” she trailed off, her gaze almost running from Lin’s. 

“You can talk to me. Only if you want to, that is” Lin offered. It felt strange, offering herself as counsel to another person. She was never the type to talk about others or her feelings, but with Kya, it was different. The older woman seemed to hesitate, but she sighed stiffly before meeting Lin’s gaze finally. 

“I was offered a full-time research position with the school, starting next year,” she admitted. “I’ve been thinking about if I should take it and what that would entail and change for me.” Lin hid it well, but her heart was racing. She might get Kya back for good. If she took this job, they would work together next year. They could grow close again. She kept it cool and nodded. 

“That’s great if you want it. RCU is a great school and would be lucky to have you on staff.” Lin said. Kya nodded but stayed quiet for a moment longer. 

“If I took this job, I’d be moving back her likely for good,” she went on. “My wandering days would likely be over. I can’t decide if that’s really what I want,” She murmured. As she spoke, she seemed to study Lin. Like there was something about the younger woman that would waver her decision. They both stayed quiet as time seemed to drag on.

“Anyways, that’s all. I didn’t mean to worry you,” Kya returned to her cheerful demeanor and Lin nodded with a small smile of her own.

“It’s alright. I just want you to be ok. I’m glad you told me.” She said. Lunch finished after a little more time, both women bringing up new topics of discussion. Lin didn’t ask again, but she had a feeling there was something else bothering Kya. Something she wasn’t ready to bring up. She stole glances at Lin now and then, like she was gaging her reaction. 

Strange behavior like that normally would deter Lin from a person, but the glances were rather endearing from Kya. She didn’t mention it though. She could just be reading into something with her wishful thinking. She didn’t want to assume something about Kya and drive her away, not when they were getting close again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited about the direction this story is heading, but writing, unfortunately, might have to take a break for a week or so. Like most people, I have exams coming up and need to focus on that. After, though, I'm off till January so I'll have plenty of time to work on this and ITIDAH.


	9. Rosé

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya comes home after a long dinner with her family and has a few glasses of wine with Lin

Kya arrived home later than she had intended, fumbling with the door before it swung open with a cold gust of wind. She managed to get it to shut without dropping any of the leftovers that Katara insisted she brought home. Snow stuck to her coat and hair, her boots dripping from the melted slush she had walked through. She finagled her boots off and half stumbled into the kitchen, where she could finally put down her leftovers. 

“Seems like you had an eventful night,” a voice laughed from the living room. Kya peaked out from behind her stack of food. She found Lin leaning against the wall, looking her up and down. She was wearing a comfortable teeshirt with a loose pair of green sweatpants. Her hair was up in a small ponytail at the nape of her neck. She held her reading glasses in her hand. Kya rolled her eyes and removed her coat, turning away as Lin walked farther into the room.

“Mom insisted that I bring you leftovers since you didn’t join me,” She called as she left the kitchen to return her coat to the hall closet. She found Lin sorting through Tupperware with a questioning gaze. Kya crossed her elbow in front of her on the counter and sighed. “Bumi told her I’m staying with you. Sorry about that,” she muttered. Lin gave her a slightly confused look before taking the leftovers to the fridge.

“No need to be sorry. I wasn’t trying to hind anything,” Kya wasn’t exactly sure what that meant but she snorted anyway. She pushed herself up on the countertop and shrugged. 

“Anyway, mom wanted me to tell you that she hopes you’re well and you’re always welcome to visit,” Lin hummed in response. She nodded as she organized the fridge, her back turned to Kya. the older woman caught herself staring after a while, her gaze trained on Lin’s shoulders and spine. She scolded herself, swallowing the lump in her throat before she turned her head to look at the cabinets. 

She eventually threw her head back slightly with an exaggerated groan, stretching out her neck and spine, when Lin turned around. “You seem whipped. Need a drink?” Lin asked, producing two wine glasses from a cabinet and a bottle of rose. Kya grinned and nodded, watching her walk back into the living room for a moment.

“You’re an angel, you know that?” Kya called as she hopped off the counter, following Lin into the other room. She found Lin settled on the couch already, candles lit on the coffee table as soft music played on the radio. Kya arched an eyebrow “What’s with the ambiance?” Lin’s response was delayed, but she eventually smiled and rolled her eyes. 

“I like setting a relaxing mood on my nights off,” she mumbled, pouring two glasses of wine. She passed one to Kya after she had gotten comfortable on the opposite end of the couch. Kya smiled and nodded, propping her elbow on the arm of the couch as she took a long sip of wine, nearly finishing the glass. Lin watched, only she was sipping her glass instead. She gave Kya a questioning look and the older woman grinned. 

“Mom cut me off after two glasses, but she should have been focused on Tenzin,” Kya joked. Lin raised her brow and smiled slightly, pulling her knees inward and draping a thick blanket over herself to get comfortable. 

“Tell me about it,” she insisted, waving a hand as she asked Kya to go on. Kya found this rather amusing, but she continued. 

“The poor man is overrun by children and likely hasn’t had a good drink in far too long. By the end of the night, he had drained nearly an entire bottle on his own and Pema had to help him walk to the car.” Lin scoffed and took another sip of her wine as Kya continued. 

“And with his kids, I don’t blame him for it. I love my nieces and nephews, I do. I only spent an evening with them and I’m exhausted. I don’t know how Pema keeps up with them twenty-four seven,” Kya made a grabbing motion towards the wine bottle. Lin passed it to her and poured Kya another glass so she could go on. 

“Jinora was quiet for the most part, either reading or texting, I couldn’t tell. Ikki prattled on about a book series she’s reading where cats like in the woods and formed some kind of society. I’m not even sure, but it sounded surprisingly violent for a children's series,” Kya paused and took another sipp of her wine. “Then of course we have Bumi the man child who got to competitive playing Mario Kart with the kids after dinner,” Lin smirked at that. 

“Bumi was never a graceful winner,” she commented. Kya snorted at that and nodded. 

“I forgot how active my family was,” she murmured into her wine glass. Lin took a sip of her drink and nodded. 

“I’d have to agree with you there, but I can’t relate. The Beifong’s were never as rambunctious,” she sniffed with a soft smile. Kya frowned slightly and shifted in her seat. She gazed into her glass, mindlessly swirling her drink. 

“Do you ever do anything with Su and her kids?” she asked. She noted the way Lin’s muscled seemed to tense for a second, but she didn’t shy away. 

“No, nothing like that. Su’s family is all over the place. It’s almost impossible to have everyone in one place, and mom is off traveling again. Not sure where these days actually,” she shrugged. Kya hummed a response and nodded. They stayed quiet for a moment. 

“Well, youed always be invited to our family gatherings, if you want some of that drama,” Kya murmured. She gestured to Lin with her glass and took a final sip. Lin nodded in response. Kya thought for a moment, recalling something Tenzin brought up that night. 

“Tenzin said he’s hosting a holiday party this year. Something similar to what my parents used to do when we were growing up. You should come with me,” she offered. “I can have him invite Su too,” Lin scoffed and arched an eyebrow.

“You want me to come to a party? Have you ever seen me at a party?” Lin asked. Kya grinned and nudged her across the couch with her foot. She wasn’t sure if the flush in Lin’s cheeks was from the wine or the candlelight.

“It’s not like a party, party. More like a holiday get together. They’ll have food and wine. Come on, you might have some fun with me,” She grinned and she could just make out the smile that tugged at Lin’s lips. “Besides, if you hate it, we can leave and just get drunk here instead,” she snorted. Lin didn’t say a word. 

When Kya turned her attention back to the other woman, she caught her gaze. She had a guilty reaction, hiding her flushed face behind her glass of wine. Kya said nothing, but smiled and turned her head to gaze into the livingroom. She put all her efforts into ignoring the pounding in her chest. She turned her attention back to the younger woman when she felt something gently nudge her leg.

“I’ll think about it, ok?” Lin murmured like it was a secret between the two of them. Kya smiled and gave a curt nod. She waited for a second longer before setting her glass down. She pondered what she wanted to do. “Ready for bed?” Lin asked her, drawing her from her head. 

“Yeah, I think so. I forgot how sleepy wine makes me,” Lin laughed softly and nodded. 

“The curse of aging,” Lin said as she stood, kicking the blanket off of her. Kya passed her glass to the younger woman, who took it and disappeared into the kitchen. Kya would have followed, but she instead poked her head inside. Lin gave her a little nod as she set the wineglasses in the dishwasher to be run in the morning. Kya nodded in return before retiring up the stairs to her room. 

She shut the door behind her, and pressed her back to it, closing her eyes. She stood still long enough to hear Lin follow up the stairs and shut herself in her bedroom. The house would have been silent if Kya’s heart wasn’t beating a mile a minute. She leveled her breathing, her eyes shut in an attempt to calm herself to little avail. She tried to understand why she felt this way. Hell, she knew why, but she didn’t want to admit it. That made it to real. 

She opened her eyes, took another shaky breath that came out as more of a gasp, and leaned off of the door. She half stumbled to her bed and pulled out her phone. Scrolling for a minute, she found her chat with Bumi. she would normally call, but she didn’t want to risk Lin hearing anything. 

**_Kya: Are you free tomorrow night?_ **

She was surprised when he responded so quickly. Normally Bumi didn’t look at his phone unless it was a call. She was grateful for the out of character moment though.

**_Dumbass: Beifong got you down?_ **

**_Kya: I just need to talk. Figure out what I’m thinking_ **

**_Dumbass: Meet at the Caged Canary tomorrow night, 8:30?_ **

**_Kya: I hope you mean 8:30 pm, but that sounds like a plan_ **

Kya curled up in the bed, still wearing her clothes with phone still in hand. She stared blankly in one spot, letting her vision get blurry as she got lost in her head again. She hadn’t let herself think it before, but Lin was casual and relaxed like before, it was rather beautiful. She was of course beautiful all the time, Kya would even go as far as to say she was drop-dead gorgeous. 

There was just something different about when she was relaxed like that. Maybe because it was a side of Lin that few people saw. Kya had only ever seen Lin relaxed like that growing up when they were alone, the two of them. Lin always carried the littlest bit of tension, never completely off guard. The two of them alone seemed to be the only exception that Kya could recall.

She snuggled into the pillow, pressing her face into it as her face grew warm. She knew what Bumi would say, but she didn’t want to risk ruining what they had. Hell, she didn’t even know if Lin was queer, let alone interested in her! She groaned in frustration and pushed the thoughts away, letting sleep pull her away and out of consciousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the headcanon that Ikki would be a Warrior Cat's kid because as a former Warrior Cat's kid, it's too accurate. I think Jinora wanted her to read more, so she showed her the series, and Ikki got way to invest in it.
> 
> I finished this chapter today when I should be doing exam review, but the next chapter definitely won't be written or posted till this weekend or next week.


	10. Caged Canary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya meets up with Bumi once again, this time at a bar they used to frequent as teenagers

Stepping into the bar was like being thrown back in time. The last time she was here would have been when she was 23. Bumi would have been 27 then, getting ready to leave for the military. 

Everything about the Caged Canary was like a time machine. There was still the heavy haze that filled the darkened bar, holding loyal patrons in a drunk warmth. It wasn’t crowded tonight, but there were still filled tables with young people having drinks. 

She took a few steps before a waving hand drew her deeper into the bar. Her brother sat in their usual seats. He had a drink already in hand and another set to the side for her. He had a wide grin, and it seemed like he hadn’t been there long. Kya removed her coat and practically collapsed onto the barstool. She took a long swig of the drink set out for her before Bumi could greet her. 

“Wow, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?” He said in a sarcastic tone. Kya shot him a look in the dark, but her brother only laughed. She let out a heavy breath and crossed her elbows on the bar, drink still in hand. 

“How’s mom?” She asked in an attempt to prolong her reason for meeting with her brother as long as she could. Bumi took another sip of his drink and arched an eyebrow.

“She’s fine. You saw her yesterday,” he insisted before gently jabbing Kya in the ribs. She scowled at him and downed the rest of her drink. “You wanted to talk about Lin again, so let’s do that.” He insisted. Kya met his gaze finally and groaned. 

“I need another drink first,” she grumbled. Her brother laughed and waved down the bartender, ordering another round for the both of them. 

“You’ve been living with her for how long now?” He asked as Kya sipped her second drink. 

“A few weeks,” she averted her eyes again, running her finger around the smooth rim of her glass. 

“How have you been feeling about all of it?” Bumi asked and Kya shrugged.

“I’m not sure, honestly. We have dinner together and quiet nights where we’re just in the same room, enjoying each other’s company without saying a word.” She wasn’t aware of the soft smile that formed on her lips when she talked about Lin. “It’s so domestic,” she added with a scoff, taking another sip. 

“And the thing is, I enjoy it. I enjoy just being with her. I haven’t had that desire for something more exciting since I started staying with her.” Her smile faded and frowned again. 

“Is that a bad thing though? If you’ve been happy, what’s bothering you?” Bumi asked. He found that asking Kya questions like this helped her process the feelings she was struggling to understand within herself. He could see the gears turning in her head as she processed her answer. 

“I don’t think it’s inherently bad, but I don’t think I like it either,” she murmured. “That desire to move has been part of me for so long. It’s my whole identity. Without it, what am I?” she asked, furrowing her brow in frustration. She downed her drink and called for another. Bumi gave her a look, but she didn’t pay mind to it. 

“Kya, we’re both getting older. Hell, we’re in our 50’s. At some point, you won’t be able to travel like you used to.” Kya scowled, frustrated that he was right. 

“Maybe trying to settle down is something you do want, you just can’t see it because you’ve let fear fog your perception. You need to let yourself want that.” Kya stared at him, not sure what to say. Sometimes she forgot how smart her older brother was. They both stayed quiet for a long while after that.

“Your right, I’m scared Bumi. I’ve always been scared of getting older,” she admitted. Bumi scoffed and shoved her shoulder.

“Kind of late to realize that now. You’re already old,” he joked. Kya managed to laugh and rolled her eyes. 

“You know what I mean.” She murmured, absentmindedly swirling her drink. “What do I do about Lin, Bumi?” she finally asked. Bumi gave her a confused look and she groaned. 

“The feelings aren’t going away. They keep growing stronger and it’s overwhelming. I keep reading into every little thing either of us does, trying to figure out if there’s some secret meaning behind it all. Trying to see if there’s something that could happen between us. It’s exhausting,” she grumbled, finishing another drink. 

“You could just be honest like I said at the beginning.” Kya arched an eyebrow and her brother grinned. “Think about it. If you just tell her, then she knows and she can tell you what she’s thinking. You won’t have to worry about what something might mean. She could just tell you.”

“If I tell her, I risk losing her. I can’t lose Lin. She’s my best friend. She’s been my best friend since we were kids. Rationally, I know she doesn’t like me that way, and telling her would only scare her away.” Kya insisted. 

“Is that just what you’ve been telling yourself so that you have a reason not to say anything?” Bumi asked in a knowing tone. Kya scowled, her face growing red in the darkness of the bar. 

“Why do you have to do that?” she grumbled. She could tell Bumi was trying to hold back laughter. 

“Do what?” he asked. Kya gripped the glass tighter in frustration. 

“You know what. You read my mind or whatever,” She huffed with a breath. She heard Bumi laugh at her now and she rolled her eyes. 

“Kya, Lin would never stop being friends with you. Honestly, she probably still likes you. She was never the type to move on from feeling. She preferred to try and ignore them instead.” He nudged her shoulder with a grin. “Like someone else, I know.” Kya rolled her eyes but smiled. 

“That sound’s like wishful thinking,” she retorted. “And how would you know. You haven’t talked to Lin in years,” she pointed out before downing her drink. 

“Lin didn’t change much growing up. She just became a bigger, grumpier nerd.” Kya blinked and scoffed with laughter. “It’s easy to assume she’s still like that in adulthood.”

“Yeah, you’re kind of right,” She paused before grinning to herself. “But she got really hot,” She added without thinking. Thye stayed silent before Bumi burst out laughing and Kya froze. Her face growing hot with embarrassment as she slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Shut the fuck up Bumi!” Kya hissed. Bumi nearly fell off of the stool from laughing as Kya pulled at his arm. A few people in the bar watched them, a couple laughing at Bumi tripping over himself. Her brother eventually composed himself, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. 

“I think that means you need to get home,” Bumi grinned, wrapping his arm over Kya’s shoulder. Kya pressed her lips in a scowled line but nodded. Her face was red with embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to say what she had about Lin, it just slipped out was all. 

Kya grabbed her coat and Bumi paid the tab. They walked out of the bar together into the cold December air. The chill around them cooled off Kya’s red cheeks and she sighed out a foggy breath. 

“Need a ride home? You shouldn’t be driving,” Bumi insisted. Kya shook her head. 

“No, I got an Uber.” her brother nodded. 

“Are you coming to Tenzin’s thing?” he asked. Kya nodded with the slightest bit of hesitation. 

“Lin might come with me,” she murmured. Bumi smiled before pulling her into a hug. 

“I’ll make sure there isn’t any mistletoe unless you want there to be some,” he joked in her ear. Kya laughed and rolled her eyes, kissing her brother on the cheek before he left the hug.

“Thank’s Bumi,” she murmured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bumi is the supportive older brother that we all need honestly. He's smart and honest and he'll tell you when you're being a gay disaster, like Kya. Love this man <3


	11. Mistletoe Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin and Kya attend Tenzin's holiday party and enjoy time with friends and family (Pt 1; Lin POV)

“Are we bringing anything?” Lin called from the downstairs bathroom. She fumbled slightly with the gold stud earrings she was putting in. 

“Don’t worry, I have it handled,” Kya replied. She sounded overly sure of herself and Lin couldn’t help doubt her slightly. Instead of saying anything in response, she took in her appearance in the mirror with a slight grimace. She’d opted to wear light makeup, which wasn’t a usual thing for her whatsoever, and pin back her hair in a nice bun, letting gunmetal grey frame her face. 

She scrunched up her nose in frustration, annoyed that she was getting butterflies over something as silly as going to a party. She let out a dramatic breath, sending her bangs flying upward, and rolled her eyes. 

“Get it together, Beifong,” She grumbled to herself, standing upright and adjusting the pine green sweater she had put on. She dusted off her jeans before standing with her hands on her hips. After a minute longer and a few more adjustments to her appearance, she finally felt satisfied and left the bathroom. 

She found Kya in the kitchen packing a bag that was set on the counter. The older woman didn’t seem to notice, giving Lin the chance to take in her appearance. She was wearing a flowy white blouse with silver buttons, dotted with pale blue polka dots, that cuffed at her shoulders. Under that, she had one a black skirt that was just loose enough around her thighs to not be considered a pencil skirt. 

She had a few loose bracelets that slid up and down her wrists as she moved around, as well as a pair of white snowflakes dangling from her ears. Her knee-high boots clicked pleasantly against the kitchen floor as she packed the bag. Lin’s eyes flew upwards again when Kya turned to open the fridge. She’d let most of her silver hair down, except for the top layers. They had been collected and pinned into a rose-shaped bun on the back of her head. 

“What? Is there a stain on my blouse? I swear I washed it,” Kya’s voice chirped, dragging Lin out of her haze as she had admired the other woman. Lin felt her spine straighten and she awkwardly shuffled where she was standing. Kya looked over her blouse, trying to find whatever stain she thought Lin had been staring at. The shorter woman swallowed the lump in her throat in an attempt to get rid of the growing redness in her complexion. 

“N-no. It looks fine, you look fine,” she started. Kya stopped looking for a stain and arched an eyebrow at Lin with a small smile. 

“What? You ok, Beifong?” She asked, straightening herself and propping a hand on her hip. Lin could barely hear her thoughts over the blood roaring in her ears. Lin scolded herself as she fumbled to find words. She squeezed her eyes shut and managed a laugh. 

“Sorry. You look nice,” she corrected. Kya seemed satisfied and grinned, rolling her eyes. She turned back to the fridge, producing what looked like a wrapped up cheese board. Lin wasn’t sure when she would have made or bought it. She approached the kitchen island and peeked in the bag Kya was packing. “What are we bringing anyway?” she asked, despite looking at the goods in front of her.

“Cookies and sodas for the kids. Wine and cheese for the adults.” Kya explained with a shrug before grinning. “ Tenzin’s never had the best pallet when it comes to wine, so I thought I’d offer up my expertise. He seems to think that price is equal to quality. I know better than that and can provide more and better for less,” she insisted as she finished packing the bag. 

“That should be everything. Are you ready to go?” Kya asked, tucking a lost strand of hair behind her ear. Lin nodded and Kya grinned. “Great. Why don’t you grab that for me? I still need my cardigan. I’ll meet you at the door,” Kya called as she walked past Lin into the living room. Lin did as she was told, pulling on her coat after making sure she had her keys and phone. 

When Kya came back, she had a grey-blue cardigan on over her blouse. The sleeves were loose around her arms, swaying gracefully as she collected her keys and phone in the small purse thrown across her torso. She pulled on her white wrap coat and bundled up with a matching knit hat. She turned to Lin with a wide smile, and after a glance down, Lin decided that she must be wearing some kind of lipstick or gloss.

“Hey, don’t look so distracted.” The older woman murmured. She reached out and her fingertips grazed Lin’s scared cheek as she tucked a loose bit of hair behind the younger woman’s ear. “We won’t stay long. Just a few hours of socializing and we’ll come right back,” Kya said with an almost sing-song tone in her voice. Lin swallowed her anxiety’s down before she smiled and nodded. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After parking the car a few houses down from Tenzin’s place, Lin got out, still carrying the tote bag for Kya. The older woman got herself out of the car and flashed Lin a shiny smile. It was obvious that she was excited to see her family. Kya always enjoyed social gatherings like this more than Lin, even in their youth. They walked side by side up the steps to Tenzin’s front door. After knocking, Kya turned to Lin.

“Hey, I forgot to mention. You also look very nice,” She smiled and Lin reciprocated nervously. She was about to say something in response before the door opened in front of them and children rushed outside, grabbing onto Kya in a fit of laughter. Lin wasn’t exactly sure what to do, so she stood still and watched as three children knocked Kya over.

“Kids, get off of your aunt,” A voice interrupted, followed by more laughter. Lin blinked and turned, surprised to see Tenzin, despite this being his house. Tenzin seemed just as surprised, if not more, to see Lin at his door. “Lin! It's so nice to see you,” He managed. Lin nodded and smiled. The children climbed off of their aunt and shoved past the adults to get back inside.

“Hey, help me up!” Kya interrupted. Lin turned her attention away from Tenzin, putting the bag in hand down to help Kya back to her feet. She reached out and dusted the snow from Kya’s shoulder, “my hero,” Kya laughed before turning to her brother and dragging him into an embrace. Lin stayed quiet, but the comment warmed her more than she would have expected. 

Kya eventually pushed past Tenzin at the door when she saw her mother, leaving Lin at the door with their things. Lin picked up the bag again when Tenzin moved to let her in. 

“I can take that,” Tenzin offered. 

“It’s fine, I’ve got it,” Lin insisted. She jumped when a hand grabbed onto her wrist, yanking her away. 

“Tenzin, don’t be rude! Take that from Lin and to the kitchen,” Kya scolded as she pulled Lin farther into the house. Lin turned her head around and had to stop herself from laughing at Tenzin's scrunched up face. 

“He offered to take it from me,” Lin mumbled to Kya, who laughed and grinned with a shrug.

“I know. I just wanted to tease him a little,” She said with a wink. She pulled Lin through the house, periodically waving and saying hello to other guests. Lin wasn’t exactly sure where she was being led, but she followed anyway. She enjoyed the warmth from Kya’s hand around her own. 

They ended up in a second sitting room towards the back of the house, where fewer people gathered. Lin was surprised to see Katara, but she smiled and waved with her free hand. She had a 3-year-old boy in her lap, Tenzin’s youngest, Rohan. He happily babbled and played with a well-loved stuffed penguin as he bounced on his grandmother’s lap.

“I brought Lin, just as you requested mom,” Kya grinned as she spoke. She let go of Lin’s hand to hug her mother, much to Lin’s dismay. Katara reciprocated the hug and smiled up at both of the women before turning to her daughter. 

“Honey, be a dear and take Lin’s coat for her. I think they’re being kept in the guest room,” Kya nodded, kissing Katara on the cheek before she took her coat off. She poked Lin in the arm to get her attention and the younger woman removed her coat, giving it to Kya. 

“and why don’t you take this one to Pema. She should be in the kitchen last I heard.” Katara added with a wink as Rohan began to whine. Kya nodded and moved the coats, draping them both over one arm. 

“Come here goober,” she said in a childish voice, smiling at her nephew and scrunching up her nose playfully. She bounced him for a moment as the kid waved his arms and chattered mostly nonsense. “You've gotten heavy, haven't you goober?” She said with a grin. With a huff, she managed to sit him comfortably on her right hip. 

“Lookit Aunt Kya! Look at Peppy!” he squealed, shoving the penguin, apparently named “Peppy” in her face. Kya nodded and laughed.

“He’s very nice, Rohan! Why don’t you tell me…” her voice faded away as she carried Rohan out of the room, leaving Lin with Katara.

“How are you, Lin? It’s been far too long,” Katara asked. Lin smiled with a small sigh and shrugged, sitting beside her on the couch. 

“It’s been alright. Life is pretty much the same every day, but I don’t mind simplicity,” she admitted. Katara raised an eyebrow. She didn’t seem convinced of that.

“Bumi told me that Kya’s been staying with you this past month. How long has it been since you two were together?” She reached across to the small coffee table in front of them and sipped a cup of tea that Lin hadn’t noticed before. Lin couldn’t help suddenly feel nervous knowing that Katara knew Kya was living with her. Was Katara insinuating something more was going on?

“It’s been a while. A few years maybe? Kya was busy,” she said simply. Katara sighed and nodded. 

“That’s very true. She always said she was going to see the world,” Katara murmured. Lin nodded with a slight sigh. She hadn’t thought about how Kya leaving had affected anyone other than herself. It must have been hard for everyone that loved her. Katara interrupted her brief thoughts again with a light laugh. “I hope she’s been a good company, and a good house guest.” 

“It’s been nice having her around. Plus the leftovers you gave her were great,” Lin added “You've always been an amazing cook,” Katara smiled and put down her tea. 

“Well, you're always welcome to join me for dinner if you want more of my cooking.” Lin nodded with a small smile. She was about to ask Katar how she had been when Tenzin’s kids ran into the room. 

“Gran-Gran! Dad needs your help in the kitchen. I think he messed up the roast like last year again,” Ikki cried. Katara raised an eyebrow and sniffed before rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She stood with the help of her granddaughters, Ikki pulling at her impatiently. 

“You go enjoy the party, Lin. We can catch up more later,” she said with a small wave as Ikki dragged her away, Jinora and Meelo trailing after her. Lin was left alone in the back sitting room, unsure of what she should do with herself. She stood, contemplating for a moment before a familiar voice interrupted her. 

“Hey, I saw mom leave. Sorry, the kids interrupted you,” Kya said with a laugh and a shrug. She had a wine glass in each hand. “They get excited about the holidays, and having so many people in the house doesn't help.” She explained. 

“Do you need two glasses of wine at once?” Lin asked, shoving her hands in her pockets as Kya approached her. Kya laughed and rolled her eyes. She took a sip from one glass before holding it out to Lin. 

“I don’t appreciate you judging my drinking habits, but I was bringing one of these to you,” she said in a smartass tone.

“Can I at least have the one you haven’t drunk out of?” Lin asked, with a slight grin. Kya glanced down at the glasses, her eyes darting between either one of them.

“I believe I sipped out of both of them, but I honestly can’t remember,” she said with complete seriousness. Lin laughed, taking the glass that had been offered to her anyway. 

“I’ll take what I can get then,” She murmured, sipping from the glass herself as she watched Kya laugh. Lin glanced past her for a moment. From where they were, Lin could see the hallway and part of the dining room where food was being kept. She noticed a group of young adults, a few being students of hers.

“Who are the kids?” she asked, gesturing to them with her wine glass hand. Kya turned around and smiled. 

“That's Korra and some of her friends. She’s one of Tenzin’s old students from when he was still teaching. Goes to RCU now.” She said with a smile as the girl she was talking about noticed her and waved. “She’s a sweet kid. Works hard and is trying to make a name for herself. Her friends are sweet too.” 

“I think I have one of them in my class. Mako, I think his name is. I recognize his brother too. He’s not in my class, but I see him in my lectures sometimes.” She said. Kya laughed and nodded before her something like remembrance flashed in her eyes. 

“Alright, no more hiding for you. Time to socialize,” Kya insisted, pulling at Lin’s free hand once more. Lin followed, taking a long sip of her wine in preparation. “I know someone very excited to talk to you,” Kya added with a wide smile.

“Why do I have a bad feeling about that?” Lin asked. As she was pulled into the living room, now filled with people, she saw exactly who Kya had been referring to. Lin took another sip of wine as best she could without spoiling anything as she was pulled towards her sister, who had her drink in hand. 

“Lin! It’s so good to see you!” Su yelped as she dragged Lin into a hug. Lin awkwardly patted Su’s shoulder and shot Kya a glare. The older woman’s only response was a shit-eating grin and a thumbs up before Su moved on to hug her as well. 

“How are the both of you? It’s been forever,” Su insisted, crossing an arm across her front and sipping her drink. “I’ve seen you all over the world Kya. You’ll have to tell me about that,” she said, referring to Kya’s extensive travel. 

“I’ll tell you once you're done chatting with Lin here.” she reached out a hand and squeezed Lin’s shoulder. The touch was sudden and likely meant nothing, but Lin struggled to ignore the flip her stomach did. “Bumi and the kids challenged me to a game of ‘fluffy bunny’ and I have no intention of losing,” she said with complete seriousness. She patted Lin’s shoulder before leaving her once more when Meelo called her from the kitchen, leaving Lin alone with her sister. 

“So, how are you and the kids?” Lin asked. She wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to say in this situation. It wasn’t like she and her sister weren't on speaking terms anymore. They just had their own lives and didn’t casually talk like this. Not the way Kya and her siblings did, anyway. 

“We’re doing good. Bataar Jr. and Huan aren’t here tonight. Neither are the twins. They had a hockey game I think, although I can’t recall if they are the ones playing or if they’re just watching.” She admitted with a swirl of her glass. “So it's just me, Baatar, and Opal tonight.” She said with a sweet smile. “What about you? What are you doing these days?”

“Mostly work. I've been grading my student’s final projects and reports for the most part. Getting things ready for next semester,” she said simply. Su frowned and furrowed her brow. 

“Lin, you can’t just work all the time. Are you doing anything fun in your spare time? Are you seeing anyone?” Lin felt her face warm and she took a sip of her wine. Su arched an eyebrow and after a moment she smiled. “You have to tell me. As your sister, I need to know these things,” Lin rolled her eyes, finishing her glass of wine. 

“I’m not seeing anyone right now, no,” there was a slight bitterness in her voice, but that was just her getting defensive. 

“But you’ve been thinking about seeing someone, haven’t you?” her sister pestered. Lin sighed heavily and gave in. She knew when she was beaten. Once Su sank her claws into a hunch, there was no getting her off of it. 

“Fine. Maybe I'm a little bit infatuated with someone. But I’m not doing anything about it, and I’m fine with that. I’m not lonely either. I’ve had company staying with me this past month.” she admitted. She wanted to leave this conversation and get more wine, but she knew there was no escaping Su. Her sister squinted her eyes, as though she was trying to read what Lin was thinking. It was rather unnerving, but Lin didn’t say anything.

“It’s Kya, isn’t it? She’s staying with you and you like her,” Su grinned, already knowing she was right. Lin pressed her lips in a fine line and looked away, not wanting to see Su’s smug smile. “Don’t be embarrassed Lin! Growing up, we all kind of suspected that you liked her. Well, maybe not Tenzin. He was too smitten with you to notice,” she snorted. Lin scowled and rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not embarrassed. I’m much too old for that,” she grumbled before letting out a long sigh and rolling her eyes. “But yes, I find Kya,” she scrunched her nose and waved a hand as she tried to find the right words “I find her attractive,” Su snorted and brushed a few strands of hair out of her own eyes.

“You have a way with words, don't you?” She teased. 

“Shut it,” Lin grumbled, feeling warmth grow in her complexion once more.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a few hours since Lin last got a chance to talk with Kya. She kept getting caught in conversation with other people at the party. She would catch glimpses of Kya now and then and she seemed to be doing fine. It was very likely she had a few too many glasses of wine, but that was alright since Lin planned on driving home anyway. 

When Lin finally got out of a conversation with her niece and her overexcited boyfriend, she decided that she should find Kya and check if she was ready to leave yet. It was getting late and Lin was practically at her social limit for the evening. She wandered into the kitchen and found nothing, so she made her way into the dining room. If memory serves, Kya got snacky when she had too much to drink. 

However, instead of Kya, she found Tenzin and Bumi having a conversation while Bumi was loading a plate with far too many pastries. She approached the two men, who stopped their conversation to greet her. 

“Lin, how are you enjoying the evening?” Tenzin asked with a soft smile. 

“It’s been nice,” Lin said simply. “Have either of you seen Kya? I lost track of her a while ago,” Lin asked, crossing her arms in front of her and glancing around, just in case Kya chose to show up when her name was mentioned. 

“Been a while since you asked us that,” Bumi snorted, taking a large bite of one of his cookies. Tenzin and Lin exchanged a look, Tenzin shrugged and shook his head, before they gave Bumi the same look. He darted his gaze between the two of them, finishing his bite before he spoke. “Lin used to ask where Kya was all the time when we were kids, remember?” 

“That’s just because she’s my friend and you're her brothers.” Lin insisted. “You're supposed to know where she is.” She said defensively, giving Bumi a warning look, as to say that if he was insinuating something else he should stop. However, Bumi wasn’t picking up on that message. 

“Come on, we all knew that you liked Kya a little too much as a kid. I bet her practically living with you is bringing back some old childhood memories, isn’t it?” Bumi mused, slinging an arm over Lin’s shoulders and pulling her into a sideways hug of sorts. The shorter woman felt her face grow hot as her eyes widened. Tenzin gave them both a confused look. He still didn’t get that Bumi was referring to her High school crush.

“Kya’s been staying with you?” Tenzin asked. Lin ignored him, shaking Bumi off of her. Bumi began to laugh at all the drama he was causing and Lin felt her blood begin to boil with annoyance and embarrassment.

“I don’t know what you're getting at, Bumi. I just haven’t seen her in a while is all,” she hissed, beginning to walk away from the two men. She heard Bumi’s laughter suddenly die as she left and without warning, she was spun around. Bumi gently held her shoulder and she was about to yell at him when she noticed his gaze. The bright joking light in his eyes was gone and replaced with sudden worry. 

“Come with me,” he quickly said. He took her out of the main party and towards the guest room where the coats were being kept. Tenzin called after them, but whatever he said wasn’t registered. Lin felt a new, uneasiness in her stomach. Bumi rarely looked anxious like this. He knew something she didn’t.

Bumi sorted through the stack of coats, making a mess of any organization there may have been. Lin only watched in the doorway, the party still going on behind them through the house. She stayed quiet, biting the inside of her cheek. 

“Shit, her coat’s gone.” Bumi hissed, straightening himself and running a hand through his greying hair. He turned to Lin, worry flooded his expression now. “She didn’t talk to you, did she?” He asked, taking a deep breath. Lin shook her head, not understanding. 

“No. As I said, I lost track of her maybe an hour ago.” Bumi turned and began to pace. 

“Shit, Kya,” he mumbled under his breath. 

“Why? Is she ok?” Lin asked, walking more into the room. Bumi shook his head and shrugged. 

“I don’t know. She wanted to talk to you tonight and was nervous about it. She must have run off. She hasn’t done this in forever,” Bumi seemed to scold himself. He was distressed and Lin wasn’t completely sure what to do about it. She eventually grabbed her coat and squeezed Bumi’s shoulder. 

“Where could she have gone?” Lin asked. Bumi stopped and thought. 

“There's a park a few blocks from her she used to run off to, or there's an old drug store.” He recalled. Lin nodded. 

“I’ll take the park. I think my mom caught her there a few times.” Lin said with a sigh, recalling when her mother would come home from late-night patrols and mention running into “Sugar queen Jr.” Bumi nodded with a small smile, grabbing his coat. 

“Thank’s Lin,” he said simply, pulling on his coat and leaving the bedroom. Lin nodded, following suit and heading towards the park once she was out of the crowded house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next few chapters are some of my favorites to write and they are pretty long, so I hope you enjoy them. Kya's at it again, but next chapter we'll see the party from her perspective and understand what's going through her head.


	12. Mistletoe Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lin and Kya attend Tenzin's holiday party and enjoy time with friends and family (Pt 2; Kya POV)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little personal update at the end of the chapter. Not really necessary to read, but I have some stuff going on right now.

Rohan cooed and explained everything about his penguin as Kya carried him to Pema. He was 3 years old now and was developing a personality of his own. Kya nodded her head, not truly understanding everything he was trying to explain, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. 

She took the coats into the guest room as her mother requested, and went on to find Rohan’s mother. She found Pema and Tenzin in the kitchen, repairing more food, and getting drinks ready. Not everyone had arrived just yet, so there was still some work to be done. 

“Mama! Mama!” Rohan cooed when he noticed his mother. She happened to be busy unpacking the cookies and cheese that Kya and Lin had brought. Pema looked up and smiled at her son, then at her sister-in-law. 

“Kya! So nice to see you,” She dried off her hands with a towel and took Rohan from Kya’s arms. She reached out, giving Kya a half hug and kissing her on the cheek. Kya returned the gesture with a smile. 

“Want me to trade with you?” Kya asked, referring to the food that still needed to be put out. Pema shook her head as Rohan pulled at his mother’s top, trying to get her attention. 

“It’s fine Kya, go enjoy the party. I’ll finish after putting Rohan to bed,” Kya waved her hand and shook her head. 

“I’ll take care of it Pema, it’s fine.” Pema gave her a grateful look and Kya grinned. “Besides, now I can annoy Tenny over here,” she prodded her brother in the ribs as he walked past her. He grumbled under his breath and both the women laughed. 

“Thank you. That’s very nice. Just don’t go too hard on him,” Pema added with a wink. She carried Rohan over to Tenzin and the boy grabbed his father’s face when Tenzin leaned down to kiss the boy goodnight. Pema left with her son shortly after, leaving Kya and Tenzin in the kitchen. Kya stayed quiet, getting to work organizing the goods she had brought.

“So, how have things been with Lin?” Tenzin asked out of the blue. If Kya had a drink she likely would have had a spit take right then. She blinked at her brother and arched an eyebrow. “You’ve been staying with her, haven’t you? That’s what Bumi said at dinner at least,” Kya relaxed with a nervous laugh, feeling her cheeks warm under her skin. 

“Oh, yeah, I have. It’s been fine. Lin’s a great host.” Kya nodded, turning her attention back to the platter she was making. “Where is Bumi anyway? Would have thought he came with mom.” 

“He did. He’s just off causing trouble with the kids I assume.” Tenzin had an obvious put on annoyance in his tone. Everyone knew despite the way he acted, he enjoyed Bumi’s antics just as much as anyone else. “When was the last time you two saw each other?” Tenzin asked, referring to Lin again.

“I can’t really remember. Maybe dad’s funeral? I think we got drinks as a group afterward. Right before Izumi flew out of the city,” Kya admitted. The realization saddened her. “There had to have been other times, but I can’t remember. Old lady brain,” she said with put on laughter. Tenzin nodded and smiled. 

“Don’t let mom hear you say that. She’s still not ready to admit that she’s an old lady,” He joked. Kya scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Mom will never admit she’s old.” She retorted. She heard her brother make a sound of an acknowledgment as he opened the oven. 

“Damn, why isn’t it cooking right?” Tenzin hissed through his teeth. Just then, his kids came running into the kitchen. Ikki stopped and looked over her father’s shoulder before yanking on his arm. 

“Should I get Gran-Gran like last year, daddy?” she asked, bouncing up and down, jostling Tenzin and nearly pulling him off balance. Kya had to stifle a laugh as she watched. Tenzin rubbed his temple as Ikki babbled on before he sighed and reluctantly nodded. 

“Yes, Ikki, that might be best,” he sighed, standing up to his full height once more. Ikki nodded before she got hold of her siblings and rushed to get their grandmother. Kya finished what she was doing with her goods and whipped her hands on a dishtowel. 

“I probably should get hold of Lin then. Where did you put the wine?” Kya asked, noticing that it wasn’t in the kitchen. 

“Dining Room,” Tenzin said, still focusing his attention on the roast as he pulled at his beard with confusion. Kya nodded, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before leaving for the wine. She found her collection set out and opened up a red, pouring it into two glasses. She made her way to where she had left Lin. She paused in the living room, taking in the growing group of guests. 

She noticed Suyin and her husband, giving her a quick nod when the other woman caught her eye. She made her way back to Lin, catching her mother leaving the back room with her nieces and nephew. She took a sip of wine before entering the room. 

Lin stood alone, looking lost in thought. She had that distracted, thinking face, similar to the face she made while grading papers or reading. Somehow, the tensest woman Kya knew could look so relaxed when she was lost in thought like that. 

“Hey, I saw mom leave. Sorry, the kids interrupted you,” She said eventually, walking further into the room. She noticed the way Lin seemed to jump when she realized she wasn’t alone anymore and the older woman couldn’t help the small smile that formed on her lips. “They get excited about the holidays, and having so many people in the house doesn't help,” she added. Lin watched her with a gaze that Kya could only describe as calculated. 

“Do you need two glasses of wine at once?” Lin asked her, her gaze darting between the two glasses in hand, then back up at the holder. Kya rolled her eyes but smiled as she took a sip from one glass, then held it out to the woman before her.

“I don’t appreciate you judging my drinking habits, but I was bringing one of these to you,” She knew she sounded cocky, but she also knew that Lin wouldn’t mind that. 

“Can I at least have the one you haven’t drunk out of?” the younger woman asked. Kya’s smile became a thin line and she arched her eyebrows. Shit, she drank out of both of them, didn’t she? Oh well, no going back now, she thought to herself.

“I believe I sipped out of both of them, but I honestly can’t remember,” she admitted, focusing her gaze completely on Lin with a small laugh in the back of her throat. She heard Lin laugh and felt their fingers brush together lightly as the glass was removed from her hand. 

“I’ll take what I can get then,” The younger woman said, her voice softer than usual. Kya laughed but was acutely aware that Lin had her eyes on her as she sipped what was now her drink. 

“Who are the kids?” Lin asked her, and Kya had to turn around to see who she could be talking about. 

“That's Korra and some of her friends. She’s one of Tenzin’s old students from when he was still teaching. Goes to RCU now.” She said simply. She caught Korra’s eye as she told Lin about her and the young adult waved to her with that familiar lopsided smile. Something about Korra always reminded Kya of her father. Maybe it was her determination or that smile. She wasn’t exactly sure. 

“She’s a sweet kid. Works hard and is trying to make a name for herself. Her friends are sweet too.” she went on to say as the group laughed about something Kya couldn’t hear. She turned back to Lin and sipped her wine. 

“I think I have one of them in my class. Mako, I think his name is. I recognize his brother too. He’s not in my class, but I see him in my lectures sometimes.” Kya nodded and laughed lightly. She ran her tongue tip across her lip quickly, the recalled something she meant to do with a grin. 

“Alright, no more hiding for you. Time to socialize,” Kya leaned forward and snatched Lin’s hand, giving it the tiniest of squeezes as she led her out of the back room. “I know someone very excited to talk to you,”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kya eventually wandered back into the dining room in search of more wine. She noticed the fast pace of her heart when she was holding hands with Lin and needed to relieve her nerves. She poured the glass and took a long sip. When the sudden emptiness of the glass didn’t sit right with her, she added more. 

“Don’t go drinking that whole bottle now,” A voice said behind her. She turned and scowled at her brother who grinned in turn. 

“What is with everyone worrying about my drinking? I’m a big girl, I can control myself,” she said with an eye roll and Bumi took the bottle. He shrugged with a laugh, shaking his head. 

“I don’t know about anyone else, but I just wanted some too,” Kya rolled her eyes once more before sipping her glass again. “What’s eating you?” he asked. Kya arched an eyebrow, unsure what he could mean. She hadn’t said anything was bothering her, so she had no idea why he would make that assumption. Bumi just smiled, shook his head, and beckoned her to follow him.

Bumi took his little sister to the back of Tenzin’s house; a screened-in, heated porch that looked out on the backyard. Outside there was a nice layer of snow and the kids had convinced Tenzin to let them play outside, despite it getting dark. Likely his attempt to get them out of his hair (ironic since he was bald). Kya could easily see how this plan would backfire for him when the kids came inside, bundled up and wet from the snow. 

Bumi sat on a couch, looking out on the yard and Kya settled in next to him. She crossed her legs and leaned into her brother’s side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulder, giving her a little squeeze. They watched as Meelo engaged in a snowball fight that would likely be taken too far, while Jinora ran around with Oogi, the family's 4-year-old brown and white Newfoundland dog. 

“Do you remember having Appa growing up?” Kya asked. She felt Bumi’s laugh from deep in his gut before she heard it. 

“How could I forget. That dog was huge,” He said. Kya nodded and took a sip of her wine again. “He was a great dog, wasn’t he?” 

“I remember mom telling me a story about when she was expecting you. She was so scared of having this huge dog and a baby in the same house.” Kya laughed, watching as Jinora was tackled into the snow by the dog, only to get up and continue running. 

“Don’t we still have those baby pictures with him?” Bumi asked and Kya furrowed her brow.

“The ones where we were each propped up against his side, making him somehow look bigger than he already was? Probably. I bet mom has them,” Kya murmured into her glass. “She kept pretty much everything from our childhoods.” 

“I was surprised when Ten got such a big dog again. He used to be scared of Appa when we were little.” Bumi remarked and Kya snorted. 

“They got closer when he got up there in age if I remember right,” Kya sighed. They sat in comfortable silence for a while longer, watching the kids now all ran away from Oogi, who barked with excitement.

“Alright. That’s enough deflecting for you. What’s bugging you?” He asked. Kya scrunched up her nose in protest. 

“I never said something was wrong,” she mumbled. Bumi scoffed and sighed. 

“But I know that there’s something. You have that look again.” His voice was soft and seemed to warm Kya from the inside. She avoided his eyes, tracing the rim of her glass as he watched the kids in the yard still. 

“I was thinking about telling Lin,” she managed through a thick sigh. She felt Bumi squeeze her shoulder reassuringly and she pressed closer to him for comfort. 

“I think that’s a good thing to do.” He murmured. “You’ll feel better after,” Kya closed her eyes and nodded. “And I think you know that.”

“I do know it, but that doesn't mean I’m not scared shitless,” she managed a halfhearted smile, almost spitting the words out. She took a long sip of her drink, draining the glass dry. 

“That’s perfectly understandable. Do you know how many time’s I’ve had that same feeling? Way too many times to count.” He scoffed through a hoarse laugh. “There was this guy in my squad that I liked for a while. He ended up respectfully shooting me down, and that was pretty shitty, but I felt better eventually,” Kya listened to her brother recant his story and managed a small smile. 

“Then there was that nurse that I talked to for a while. I fell for her way harder than I should have, and I knew that” he added and Kya laughed slightly. He sighed heavily and Kya felt him sink into the couch beside her more. “But I know this is different,” Kya bit the inside of her cheek and nodded, but stayed quiet. She felt Bumi’s hand rub comforting circles on her shoulder. 

“You are one of the toughest people I know. Tougher than Lin even.” He murmured, planting a soft kiss on his little sister’s temple. Kya positioned her now empty wine glass beside her on the couch. She wrapped her arms around her brother’s middle as best she could from the slightly awkward angle. “I know that you can do this,” Bumi added, wrapping his other arm around Kya. 

They stayed in their hugging position for a moment longer before Kya pulled away. She smiled and thumbed away a couple of stray tears that fell over the apples of her cheeks. Tenzin poked his head out on the deck, surprised to see his siblings. 

“Everything ok?” he asked with a signature confused and concerned expression. They both nodded, Bumi standing up to stretch out his back with an exaggerated grunt. 

“We were just talking about Appa. The kids playing with Oogi reminded us of him.” Bumi explained, flashing Kya a quick smile that Tenzin wouldn’t notice. Tenzin nodded with a smile. 

“We’re thinking about getting Jinora her own soon, but that's a secret, so,” He held up a finger to his lips and grinned. Kya nodded and winked, biting her lower lip in thought. Bumi made a zip and lock motion over his lips to show that he wasn’t going to tell. With that, Bumi patted Kya on the shoulder with a reassuring squeeze before going inside.

Tenzin stepped out onto the screened-in deck and waved to Jinora, calling his children and the dog inside since it was getting dark. They didn’t comply till they were promised hot chocolate. Jinora started to run and Ikki pushed past her, determined to be the first inside. Oogi took the lead out of the group and Meelo ended up tripping face-first into the snow. Ikki laughed but wouldn’t stop running in. 

Jinora backtracked and helped her brother to his feet, dusting the snow off of his cheeks. Ikki and Oogi barreled past Kya, who was still on the couch, only giving her a quick hello before ducking inside. Jinora and Meelo soon followed their sister, giving Kya a nicer acknowledgment, before heading into the house.

“Do you want to come in?” Tenzin asked, Holding the door open for his sister. Kya looked up at him from her seat on the couch. She managed a content sigh and shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment. “Are you doing ok? You seem a little off,” Tenzin asked. He seemed nervous to mention anything, like her thought asking Kya could lash out as she might have as a teenager. 

“I’m ok Ten, honestly. I’m just having some growing pains,” she said with a small smile and a wink. Tenzin nodded, but shut the door he was still holding open. He approached his sister and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, which Kya gratefully reciprocated. “I’ll join the party in a little bit. I just want a minute,” she murmured. Tenzin patted her shoulder and followed his kids inside, leaving Kya to marinate in what she was going to do.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had spent about ten minutes alone on the back deck, mentally drawing up her battle plan. When she went inside, she was going to check with Lin. See how she was doing and if she thought it was right, suggest that they head home. Before getting in the car, Kya would say that she wanted to take a quick walk to stretch her legs after being in a crowded house for so long. 

If all of that worked and she got Lin alone, she would wait till they were far enough from the house and tell her. She still wasn’t exactly sure what she was going to say, but Kya’s best words normally came when she didn’t overthink it. She took a few deep breaths, stood up, and walked back into the house. 

She made her way through the crowded living room, eventually spotting Lin in a conversation with her niece. At the sight of her, Kya froze. All of her planning and any confidence that she may have had was thrown out the window and replaced with doubt and hot anxiety. She clenched at her cardigan sleeves, fiddling with the knit material as she watched Lin from across the party. 

Despite obviously being annoyed with Bolin’s overexcited deminer, Lin kept a listening face. Kya had only met the boy a few times, but it was easy to pick up on his personality right away. She nodded when she should, smiled when he made a bad joke, and responded in kind. It was something that Kya never would have expected had she not grown up with Lin. 

Kya anxiously bit her lower lip, trying to calm herself down and think through what she wanted to do. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop playing out the worst-case scenario that she’d made in her head. She felt her palms begin to shake and the sting of tears in her eyes as an imaginary Lin rejected her and told her that she never wanted to see her again. When she was real Lin, the Lin she’d loved for so long, smiled from across the room, she lost all control and made a mad dash for the guest bedroom.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kya wasn’t exactly sure how long she had been wandering around outside. It was long enough for the streetlamps to turn on and steady snow to start falling around her. She didn’t mind it though. Her thoughts were traveling at a rate too fast for her to comprehend and she took continuous deep in an attempt to calm herself down. 

She reached into her pocket to find her phone. Maybe some music would help her relax, or scrolling through Twitter for a minute. Anything to distract her from the hurricane of thoughts she was having. After digging in her pockets, they all turned up empty. She must have left it at the house. She stopped, squeezing her eyes shut and taking a deep breath before opening them again and evaluating her surroundings. 

She realized now that she was in the park she used to come to when she was younger. She had completely forgotten about this place. Now she remembered all the times she would sneak out here for a drink or smoke in high school. 

She turned to her right and recalled the large rock that she had climbed when she found out about an elaborate plan that a girl, who she thought was her friend, had made to embarrass her. Bumi had found her then and they connected an even better prank to get back at the girl. To put it plainly, it had resulted in month-long detention for Kya and two months without the car for Bumi. She smiled with a shaky breath at the memory, her mind still swirling with other thoughts. 

She moved on and found an old tree that Tenzin had helped her out of. It was huge and the perfect tree for climbing. Their old siamese cat Momo had agreed with that statement anyway. He had gotten out of the house one afternoon and got stuck in the very tree before her. Kya and Tenzin found him and she had climbed up, insisting she could get down on her own with Momo in tow. She had soon been proven wrong. 

Kya continued walking through the park, trying and failing to calm herself down. She felt the familiar sting of tears as they brimmed and fell from her eyes. She sniffed and swallowed hard, her thumb tracing the arch of her cheek as she dragged tears from her face. The air around her was silent and cold, her silent gasps for air turning into visible fog from her mouth. She stood still, alone in the park, tears eventually subsiding till she was alone with her breathing, or so she thought. 

She managed not to scream when she felt fingers grab her shoulder and spin her around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really love writing about supportive big brother Bumi if you can't tell. He didn't get enough attention in the show in my opinion and I couldn't fit good scenes with him in my other fic, so I had to write about him here. (Also I headcanon Bumi as Bi, if you can't tell). 
> 
> Let me know if you'd want some oneshots about young Kya, Lin, Tenzin, and Bumi in this universe. I think it would be fun to explore them in a high school setting as teenagers, and maybe I can come up with a story about the prank that got Bumi and Kya in so much trouble.  
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> I know the mentions of Appa and Oogi were kind of out of nowhere, but my dog passed unexpectedly on the 28th, and I wanted to include something to help me feel a little better. I might take a break from writing after chapter 13, since I already have it finished, to process things. I really loved this dog. He was the first pet that was ever really mine and I thought he would make it to graduation with me. I planned to have him in my senior pictures and everything. He was a great dog. If you have a pet, whether it's a cat, dog, fish, or anything in between, let them know you love them.


	13. Snowglobe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kya goes missing at the party, but only Bumi and Lin seem to notice. They split up in an attempt to find her and Kya must face what she's been running from

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW// Panic Attack
> 
> \- Small update in the endnotes

Kya’s world momentarily became a blur, silver strands of hair obstructing her vision as she was spun around on her heels. She gasped for air with the full intention to scream bloody murder in case she was about to actually be murdered, but when she was met with that green gaze, her intended noise died on the tip of her tongue. 

“Lin! What the fuck?” She yelped. She felt her heartbeat elevate as she was face to face with the woman she was so desperately trying to escape. She grew frantic and felt her hands begging to shake. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Lin’s eyes, those deep green, worried eyes. 

“What the fuck yourself. What are you doing out here, it’s freezing,” Lin scolded. A buzzing sound gradually filled Kya’s ears. She could see Lin talking, but her voice was drowned out by buzzing and her breathing quickened. Lin studied her before her brow furrowed. “Hey, look at me,” she murmured, “It’s ok. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

Kya felt like she was breaking. She knew Lin was just being her friend and worried about her. That’s all this was, a friend worried about another friend, nothing more. She couldn’t let it be more, even if she wanted to. She wanted to tear away, to run, and not face her issues, as she had always done. Strong hands kept her in place as she lost touch with her surroundings. 

She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her palms into her temple and tugging at the roots of her hair with her fingers. She felt nauseous and weak and needed to get away. Tears stung her eyes once again as she kept them shut and she bit her lower lip. She shook her head as Lin tried to calm her down. She felt dizzy and stepped backward when she felt Lin’s grip falter.

She didn’t open her eyes, stumbling backward as nausea and buzzing overwhelmed her senses. Her eyes snapped open when the buzzing was replaced with a roaring sound. Her foot slipped on the curb and she felt herself falling. Her eyes flew open and she was met with the brightest light she had ever seen. 

Before she could act, she felt herself pulled up and forward by her coat, landing flat into Lin’s chest. The two of them stumbled backward. Lin landed hard on the sidewalk below her with Kya on top of her. Kya scrambled to her feet, hesitating for a moment before she decided to try making a break for it. Her hesitation gave Lin enough time to get herself up and grab Kya’s wrist. 

“Kya, what the fuck is going on?” Lin practically screamed as she yanked Kya around to face her again. Kya couldn’t tell if her heart had stopped or if it was just beating too fast for her to register. Her head was swimming and she felt dizzy. She was still shaking and she had to remind herself to breathe.

She’d nearly been hit by a car. She nearly died trying to get away from Lin. Now, Lin was holding onto her shoulders with a look full of fear, hurt, and confusion. Kya felt like she was choking on the air around her. Her throat tightened and her vision became blurry with tears. 

“This isn’t- it’s just, it’s not fair!” She choked. Lin didn’t understand and she could only shake her head.

“Kya, you need to calm down and talk to me, ok? breath,” her voice was filled with alarm despite her best efforts to remain calm. Kya shook her head frantically, shoving Lin off her arms. She held her head between her hands, fingers digging into her scalp once more as she stumbled backward, still shaking her head as tears began to pour from her eyes.

“I can’t talk to you Lin, I can’t!” she cried. She stopped and took a long shaky breath, messaging her temple for comfort. “If I talk to you, I feel comfortable, and when I get comfortable I freak out, so I should just leave and stop prolonging the inevitable,” she sniffed.

“I don’t understand,” was all Lin could say. Her voice was soft and confused, like a child. Kya scoffed slightly, dragging her fingers over her face in mixed frustration and mild hysteria with herself. She began to pace as she spoke, finally spilling all of her thoughts out loud.

“I need to leave, because I know I’ll do it eventually no matter what. It’s what I always do when I get scared,” She tried to explain. Lin still didn’t get it and Kya wasn’t in a state to explain clearly. 

“I’ve done so many things in my life, and I’ve been to more places than I can even remember. I’ve swum with sharks, explored empty islands, and seen the bottom of the ocean, yet you,” She stopped, turning back to Lin, who hadn’t moved from her place and was still watching as Kya rambled. “You scare me more than anything,” She spoke in a whisper before they were left in silence. 

“What did I do to scare you?” Lin eventually murmured. Kya stopped and shrugged with a loud, exasperated laugh. 

“That’s the other thing. I don’t know. Other women, I can be with them and have a fun time without getting too attached, but with you, something’s different.” She swallowed, recatching her breath as she pushed loose hair out of her face 

“I feel like I’m drowning. Every little thing you do is mesmerizing, and you’re so sweet and thoughtful. My heart beats faster when you’re around me, and I want to get closer to you.” She waved her hands around wildly as she spoke, 

“But if I do get closer to you, I feel like I’m going to fall and you’ll be the one to get hurt. I can’t have you because then I risk losing you,” She looked up finally and realized how much closer Lin was. She had approached Kya while she rambled, and now she took shaky hands into her own. “I can’t risk losing you, and I’ve never felt like this with anyone,” Kya breathed, hiccuping through tears. 

Lin didn’t say anything. She instead used action and pulled Kya into her arms. Kya stood frozen, her mind screaming that she needed to run, leave now before she couldn’t. But being wrapped in Lin’s arms paralyzed her. Kya swallowed the lump in her throat and felt the tears roll down her cheeks again.

“I just-I don’t know what to do.” she whimpered, drowning in Lin’s arms. She began to sob as her knees gave out. Lin let go slightly, guiding her to a park bench and sitting her down before pulling her into her arms again. 

Kya griped at her, muffling her sobs in Lin’s warm coat. She felt gentle fingers run through her hair as soft lips murmured comforting words that she didn’t fully comprehend. She barely even noticed the snow around them. 

“Why didn’t you talk to me about this?” Lin finally asked when her tears subsided long enough. Kya reluctantly pulled away from Lin’s arms, shifting to make space between them. She still couldn’t meet her gaze. 

“Because I sound crazy,” She murmured. She clenched her hands around each other, trying to stop the shaking. She watched as Lin reached out to her again, sliding her hand between both of Kya’s. The older woman felt a soft squeeze and she shut her eyes, fighting back more tears. 

“You still could have told me,” Lin murmured. Kya scoffed with a sarcastic remark on the tip of her tongue. She looked up at Lin finally. She was met with her green gaze, which was filled with nothing but honesty. Kya shook her head to look away, only for warm fingers to catch her cheek and turn her back. 

“I’ve loved you since high school, I was just oblivious and didn’t realize it,” Lin confessed. She smiled softly as she said it, laughing gently. Kya felt her throat and chest tighten, but she was too mesmerized to move. This all felt like a dream. “I always loved it when you played new records. You’d sing at the top of your lungs and you got the words all wrong because you’d only heard the songs a few times before.” Lin’s expression was so gentle and warm. Kya was frozen as she went on. 

“I loved the way you used to doodle on my hands during lunch when you finished eating before me and got bored with the conversation. I only acted annoyed because I thought that I should be annoyed, but I never minded. Your hands were always so warm.” Lin brushed her fingertips over Kya’s cheek, pushing loose strands of silver hair behind her ear. “I loved how you were always just unapologetically you. I love everything about you,” her voice was a whisper. 

Kya had relaxed as Lin spoke like her mind had been turned off. Now, it was on again and she felt Anxiety burning the back of her throat. She squeezed Lin’s hand again, silently begging for reassurance. She got a squeeze back, telling her that she was ok. 

“What if I start to get scared? Think about running again?” She asked. Her voice faltered slightly and she swallowed the lump in her throat. 

“You tell me how you're feeling and we work on it together,” Lin murmured. She said it point-blank, without a second thought. “I never want to tie you down. If you feel like you need to travel or you need to shake things up, I can be flexible,” Kya scoffed slightly with a sniff. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a flexible Beifong,” she teased. Lin arched an eyebrow and grinned. 

“You’ve never seen me in the sheets,” Kya’s eyes widened and she gasped, shoving Lin away in shock. She heard Lin’s horse laugh in the dark and joined in after recovering from the initial shock. After that, they got quiet. The snow had picked up and the space Kya had made between them was now gone. She felt an arm questioningly wrap around her shoulder, but she didn’t shy away from it. 

“I’m sorry, for all of this,” Kya whispered. She knew that she should have taken Bumi’s advice. Talking about all of this like an adult worked, just like Bumi said it would. Things were going to be ok with a little time, and she had been worried about something that was easily fixed. It all felt silly now. 

“Hey, don’t apologize. It’s ok. I probably would have freaked out too,” Lin shrugged, pulling Kya a little closer to her with a kind smile. “Let's just avoid you getting hit by cars, ok? I don’t know what I would have done…” she murmured. The older woman managed a smile and nodded, appreciating her honesty and warmth. Silence fell over them once again.

“What do we do now?” Lin eventually asked. Kya gazed at her for a moment, admiring how the shadows and park lights framed Lin’s features. She was a shadow and a light all at once, and Kya wasn’t sure how she could embody perfection so easily. She shrugged before grinning. Lin seemed to get the memo and turned toward Kya. 

“Can I kiss you?” She asked. Kya felt her mouth instantly go dry, despite knowing that was what she was going to ask. Somehow, the questions still surprised her. She bit her bottom lip and nodded more eagerly than she had intended to. She watched as Lin smiled, gently tucking her fingertips behind Kya’s ear to nudge her forward. Kya snaked her arms around Lin’s shoulders, as the younger woman pulled her hips into her lap.

It started slow, almost hesitant. Lin’s lips gently brushed against her own, her warm breath tickling Kya’s face before she caught hold of her. She felt Lin’s hands wander slightly, drawing her closer at her hips. Lin started to drive the kiss, pulling at Kya’s bottom lip with her teeth. The older woman was pleasantly surprised by this and made a soft whimper. She felt Lin grin against her lips and pulled away. 

“What are you grinning about,” she whispered breathlessly. Lin shrugged slightly, tilting her head to the side. 

“I’ve wanted to do that for a while,” she murmured. Kya laughed for a moment, but faltered and frowned. 

“How are you so calm about all of this?” she asked, her fingertips lightly tracing Lin’s scarred cheek. The younger woman seemed confused for a moment before she smiled again with an arched eyebrow.

“Are you kidding? I’m scared shitless,” She admitted. Kya wasn’t convinced. “I don’t want to think about that though. I just want to be here, with you,” she murmured. Kya felt her face flush slightly and leaned forward, cupping Lin’s face in her hand. She felt a warm breath against her lips again and shivers ran through her against the cold. Lin’s hands found her hips again and she made a satisfied hum. They broke away, breath forming clouds in the cold air around them. 

“We should get back to the party. Don’t want anyone freaking out,” Kya reluctantly suggested. Lin hummed in agreement and they stood. Kya’s hand found Lin’s and she leaned against the younger woman’s shoulder. 

Their fingers comfortable laced together as they walked back down the street to the house. They could hear the music and conversation from inside as they approached, but found Bumi anxiously waiting on the front steps for them. 

“What the hell Kya, are you alright,” he called when he saw them approach. Lin waved and he rushed over, forcefully pulling his little sister into a hug.

“Stop it Bumi! I’m fine!” she squealed, but her voice was muffled by Bumi’s coat. He let her go, only to pull her face into his hands, squishing her cheeks and causing her lips to pucker like a fish. She could hear Lin trying not to laugh behind them.

“Don’t disappear like that! We got worried!” Bumi was playing up the whole “worried older brother” act for his amusement and Kya groaned. Shoving him off of her. 

“I’m pretty sure you and Lin were the only ones that even noticed I left,” she mumbled. She stepped back beside Lin, and the women gazed at each other knowingly, silently conveying feelings with soft glances. Bumi’s grey eyes flicked between the two of them and grinned at the sudden silence.

“You kissed, didn’t you?” Kya felt her whole face heat up and glanced at Lin. She was also flushed but she smiled rather than her signature scowl. Instead of yelling at Bumi or getting defensive like Kya would have expected, she turned. 

She caught Kya’s chin between her thumb and forefinger and quickly kissed her once more. Kya turned to Bumi, who only grinned and gave her a thumbs up. She gave him a wide smile and a thumbs-up of her own in response, wrapping her other arm around Lin’s waist. Lin rolled her eyes with a long sigh and turned to Kya. 

“Do you want to head home? It’s getting late,” she asked. The snow was lightening up now and it seemed like the party was still going strong. Kya smiled softly, dusting the snow from Lin’s hair before she nodded. 

“Yeah. Let me just get my things and say goodbye,” She murmured. Lin nodded, hunching her shoulders against the cold when Kya let go of her hand. The older woman flashed her a grin and ran past her brother and up the front porch. She turned around briefly, taking a deep breath and collecting herself before she disappeared into the warm house once more.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The car ride had been quiet as they drove home, holiday songs playing over the radio as the snow flew around the car in the dark. Kya rested her elbow on the car door, propping her hand up to hold her chin as she gazed out the window. She periodically gazed at Lin, who seemed so relaxed as she drove them home, one hand on the steering wheel and a content smile on her lips. 

Kya turned back to the window, watching as they passed houses decorated in lights of all different colors. She managed to catch Lin’s free hand in her grasp and got a gentle squeeze of reassurance. Neither of them let go till they arrived home.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They arrived home close to midnight and were both ready to retire to bed. They shuffled by the door, removing each other’s coats and wet boots, returning keys to their place so they wouldn’t get lost. They went upstairs together, Kya moving to her room. She ducked into her connected bathroom, changing out of her party clothes. She stifled a groan when she finally removed the bra she had been wearing all evening. 

She picked out an old shirt she’d picked up from one of her travels, as well as a pair of sleep shorts. She let her hair down, running a brush through it to undo any tangles when there was a soft knock at her door. She stepped out of the bathroom and smiled softly as Lin approached her. She had also changed, now wearing a pair of loose green sleep pants and an old grey t-shirt. 

“Come to say goodnight?” The older woman murmured, catching Lin’s hand on her own. She noticed the flush in the younger woman’s cheeks and bit her lower lip as she stifled a smile.

“Kind of,” Lin mumbled, averting her gaze slightly. She felt Lin begin to walk away, but she didn’t let go of Kya’s hand, forcing the older woman to follow. When she understood, she froze, glancing down at her hand, fingers naturally entwining with Lin’s. She then gazed up at Lin’s eyes. In the darkness of the hallway, her eyes seemed to glow with affectionate warmth, mixed with a soft shyness that Kya couldn’t help to blush at.

“Are you sure?” she asked in a whisper. She could make out Lin nod, gently pulling Kya away from her room and into the master bedroom. Kya smiled softly and followed. The door opened and Lin flicked on the light to reveal her room. 

In the center was her bed, durned in a soft white and cream bedspread. The room was decorated in a similar color pallet, with hints of warm grey and bits of green. It was sophisticated but secretly soft. Fitting for Lin. Kya gazed around the room, admiring little trinkets and books that Lin had lying around after sitting down on the bed. 

“We don’t need to do anything,” Lin interrupted her thoughts. The younger woman turned her attention back to Lin, who was twisting a bit of hair around her finger. Kya smiled and nodded. It was sweet, seeing Lin so vulnerable with her.

“What side do you want?” Kya asked, removing herself from the bed to approach Lin.

“Right,” Lin managed. Kya nodded with a soft smile.

“Good. I like the left anyway,” she murmured. She saw Lin smile and Kya pulled her to the bed. They got comfortable on their respective sides and Lin turned off the light. They faced each other on the pillows, admiring each other in the darkness for a while. 

Kya eventually felt a hand snake around her hip and tug at her waist, pulling her closer to Lin. She couldn’t help laughing lightly and scooted closer. Lin’s hand found the small of her back, holding her gently. Kya hummed her appreciation, wrapping her arm around Lin’s shoulder. Sleep came easily that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter of the new year! Here's to hoping this year is better than the last. This was a much longer chapter than I had intended and I skipped writing a few other chapters because I was too excited to finish this one. I hope that the confession was worth the wait. I reworked it a few times and I really hope I conveyed all the feels right.  
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Thank you for all of the kind words on my last chapter. all the love is very much appreciated, and I'm so grateful that you guys are going to be patient with me. I've had a rollercoaster of emotions this past week, but I'm going to be ok eventually. My parents and I have agreed that if we're all feeling ready in a few months, I can adopt a kitten, so that idea has helped me feel a little optimistic and not upset all the time. I've also been trying to write and draw because those are things that make me happy, so this story is definitely getting finished either this month or next month. I also thought of a couple of shorter prequel and sequel fics that I might do within this Au. A few may include pets, which I'm looking forward to writing about.


	14. Cinnamon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Tenzin's party

Sunlight crept through the closed curtains, bathing the pale bedroom in warm light as Lin began to stir from slumber. She kept her eyes screwed shut in an attempt to fall back asleep, which was now alluding to her grasp. As she woke up more now, she began to recall the night before. 

Talking with her sister and other guests at the party before she approached Bumi and Tenzin. Realizing Kya was missing and going after her. Finally finding her distressed and scared and hearing her long-winded love confession. Kissing the woman she had secretly longed to kiss for what felt like her whole life, then taking her home and sharing her bed. 

At that recollection, she let her eyelids slowly flutter open. Adjusting to the light, she reached out a hand, expecting to feel another body beside her. She sat up more when she only gripped slightly warm sheets. She began second-guessing herself, wondering if it had all been a dream and Kya was still asleep in the room across the hall the whole time. 

She straightened herself in the bed, pulling her knees into her chest and resting her chin on them. She ran her fingers through her messy grey bed-head, contemplating what she thought had been real. She bit her lower lip, furrowing her brow in what she could only describe as frustration. She forgot her worried thoughts when she heard the familiar click of her bathroom door open. 

Kya stepped out of the attached master bathroom, her expression made mid-yawn. She rubbed the corner of her eye with her knuckles, shutting the door softly behind her. Lin’s eyes widened, drinking in her sleepy appearance. 

Her long silver hair was curled and slightly fuzzy with sleep and she dragged slightly in her movements. Kya normally had a smooth, airiness to her movements, but since she was waking up, she seemed slower and more rigid. The sleepy look in her blue eyes wouldn’t mean anything to most people, but Lin could only describe it as breathtaking.

“Shit, did I wake you?” Kya asked, dragging Lin out of her wondering daze. Her voice was slightly horse and laced with drifting sleep. Lin shook her head, watching as the older woman walked around the bed and slipped under the covers beside her once more. 

“No. I did wonder where you went, though,” Lin admitted, letting her legs slide out of her curled up position. Kya closed her eyes again and hummed into her pillow. Lin watched the steady rise and fall of her chest as she nuzzled into the cream bedding around them. 

“Come back here,” Kya requested having caught Lin staring. A soft smile tugged at her lips and she took Lin’s hand into her own from under her pillow. “You’re too far away and I’m cold. Plus, it’s too early to get up anyway,” she persisted, tugging at Lin’s hand. The younger woman felt something flutter in her chest and she smiled before quickly checking the time on her phone, which sat on her bedside. 

“It’s already past nine,” Lin remarked, arching an eyebrow in amusement. 

“Exactly. Too early,” Kya’s voice was muffled by her pillow. Lin rolled her eyes but slid back down into the bed. To her surprise, Kya’s hands quickly found her waist, wrapping long arms around her and settling one hand on top of the other on Lin’s back. The gesture was new, yet it felt familiar in some way. She finds herself smiling and allowing the older woman to curl up in her chest. “Hmm, you’re warm…” she thought she heard Kya mumble.

She moves her hand upwards to cradle Kya’s head, moving cautiously so that she can retreat if the woman next to her dislikes the gesture. Her hand finally finds Kya’s head, finger’s sliding into feather-light strands of silver hair. She froze when Kya adjusted to her touch but was reassured when the older woman hummed with a small smile. They stayed silently curled in cream sheets with tangled legs for what feels like hours before Kya breaks the silence.

“Do you have any extra work today?” She asked before planting a warm kiss against Lin’s collarbone. She could feel the heat rushing into her complexion, but she didn’t mind or shy away from it. She nuzzled her cheek against Kya’s forehead with a quick kiss of her own. 

“No, I got everything I needed to do done before we left,” she murmured. Kya hummed again and Lin could feel the smile her lips made as another kiss warmed her skin, this time at the base of her throat. 

“Guess you’ll have to spend all day with me then,” Kya practically purred. She shifted slightly in Lin’s arms so she was now lying on her back. Lin adjusted accordingly, propping herself up on her left elbow, her hand holding her scarred cheek. Kya absently ran her pointer finger in invisible shapes on Lin’s stomach since her shirt had ridden up slightly. Her touch was warm and soft almost like she wasn’t touching Lin at all. 

“It does seem that way, doesn’t it?” Lin murmured in response, a smirk pulling at her lips. Kya grinned up at her with a soft laugh that seemed to bubble in the back of her throat. Her silver hair was fanned out around her head, sparkling against the cream sheets. She reached her hand out, brushing her knuckles against the apple of Lin’s other cheek. Lin felt her eyes flutter shut for a moment, relaxed but her touch before she was suddenly dragged forward. 

Without any warning, Kya had moved her hand down and grabbed onto the collar of Lin’s shirt. She must have tugged harder than she intended, because Lin came crashing forward with a yelp, her forehead bumping into Kya’s, who also let out a squealing sound. Lin managed to catch herself over the other woman without much injury, but now Kya was rubbing her forehead with her eyes squeezed shut. 

“Shit, I thought that would be sexier,” she said with an awkward laugh. Lin snorted and rolled her eyes. 

“You thought pulling me forward without any kind of warning would be sexy?” Lin said with a joking smugness in her voice. Kya opened her eyes and arched an eyebrow. She gave a shiny smile and wiggled slightly. Lin was still hovering above her with her arms and she felt warmth creep up her neck again. 

“I thought I’d be able to kiss you without injury,” 

“I mean, you still could,” she mumbled slightly, her gaze darting away momentarily. She watched Kya laugh again from under her and couldn't help grinning when two warm hands came up to cup either side of her face. Kya gently pulled her forward, planting a quick kiss to the corner of Lin's mouth before moving to the square center. 

Lin could feel Kya’s smile against her lips and reciprocate with her own. Kya’s hands snaked past her cheeks and long fingers tangled in her hair. The younger women leaned forward till they were flush together and one of Kya’s hands moved downwards, sliding under Lin’s shirt and sending a shiver down her spine. 

Lin brushed her knuckles against the apple of the other woman’s cheek and tucking loose hair behind her ear and out of her face. Reluctantly, kya pulled away with a fluttering breath, her head falling back on the pillows as she gazed affectionately at the woman above her. They both stayed quiet, Kya drawing swirled, detailed designs under Lin’s shirt as Lin ran her thumb down Kya’s jawline. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Kya asked in a whisper. Lin turned her gaze back up to meet sea-blue eyes, before leaning down again and kissing the jaw she had been tracing. She felt a warm, hitched breath flutter suddenly against her neck. It was so soft she almost didn’t register. 

“You want my honest answer?” Lin murmured. Kya gave a short nod. “Part of me feels like I’m still dreaming,” she confessed, feeling a sudden shyness creep through her.

“Hope you don’t wake up then,”

“Guess I won’t” Kya grinned up at her, another warm laugh bubbling from her chest. Kya’s laugh had never changed, even as she grew up. It was the same soft, warm sound that a person couldn't avoid smiling at. Growing up, Lin could be angry at the entire world, but when she heard Kya genuinely laugh, all those feelings simultaneously melted away. 

“While I would love to stay in bed here with you all day, I think we should get up and get some coffee,” Kya confessed, pulling Lin from her thoughts. Lin arched an eyebrow and smiled.

“But coffee will wake me up? Don’t you want me to stay asleep and enjoy my dream?” Lin pressed against Kya more, the sudden extra weight bringing an “oof” sounding breath out of the older woman. Lin rested her chin on Kya’s chest and innocently tilted it to the side. Kya gave her a look that was her attempt at a grimace, but she ultimately faltered and laughed again. 

“I can confirm that you aren’t dreaming and I’m not going anywhere,” 

“Of course you’re not going anywhere. I’m stopping you, aren’t I?” Lin quipped with a grin. Kya blinked slowly, her lips pressed into a firm line, her bottom lip poking out in an annoyed pout with a raised brow. Lin smirked again and hoisted herself off of Kya with a mild groan. hovering above Kya once again, she pressed a quick kiss to the older woman’s lips. “Ok, time for coffee now,” she said with a yawn, swinging her arms above her head and stretching her back. 

Kya tumbled out of bed after her, pressing yet another quick kiss to Lin’s cheek before practically skipping out of the bedroom. Lin rolled her eyes and made her way downstairs, finding Kya digging through the kitchen like a raccoon in search of coffee.

“How do you work this again?” Kya asked, gesturing in the direction of the Keurig in the corner of the kitchen counter. Lin laughed, pulling out the coffee pods from the spot they had been since before Kya started staying. 

“You've been here nearly two months, yet you still can’t find anything,” Lin remarked. Kya made a huffing sound and rolled her eyes. Lin could only laugh. 

“I had a lot on my mind for most of the time I’ve been here. Can I have the blue one?” Kya asked, referring to the blue coffee pod and interrupting her thought as she hopped onto the counter with a small grunt sound.

Lin gave her a thumbs up and popped the pod into the machine after adding water. It began to buzz and come alive as the coffee smell filled the kitchen. It was strange how such a small part of their routine felt different now. Lin made them coffee every morning, just like this. But now the menial task felt completely different. 

“With that in mind, I think there's a conversation that the two of us need to have,” Kya continued where she had left off in her thoughts again. She pressed her lips together, gaze wandering around the kitchen. Lin arched an eyebrow, leaning her back against the counter in front of the coffee maker, and crossing her arms. 

“Is this a bad conversation, or a good conversation?” Lin asked.

“I’m not sure, honestly. I’d hope it's a good one,” They stared at each other for a moment, like each of them was daring the other to speak first. “I guess what I’m wondering is where do we go from here?” There was anxiety radiating off of Kya that worried Lin, like last night. Lin glanced down at her hands, which were clasped in her lap. She was fidgeting again. 

The younger woman pushed off of the counter behind her and walked across the kitchen to Kya, still perched on the countertop. Lin silently untwined her clasped fingers. Kya let her, watching with a soft yet confused gaze. Lin smiled up at her, taking the older woman’s right hand and pressing a soft kiss to her wrist. 

“What do you want, Kya?” she asked. 

“I thought I asked you that question,” 

“You did. But I want to know what you want. What’s going on in your head? ” Kya gave her a doubtful look, pressing her lips into a thin line as she furrowed her brow. “I’m serious. I want to base my decision on what you want because I want what’s going to make you happy,” she murmured, suddenly feeling vulnerable and shy. Based on Kya’s demeanor, she could tell that she was feeling something similar. 

Normally vulnerability in any setting, even the privacy of her kitchen, would be upsetting. Yet somehow, at this moment, vulnerability filled Lin with warm comfort. For the most part, she meant what she said. She wanted Kya in her life again as something more than a friend. Really, she wanted to ask Kya to be hers, but a nagging feeling made her worry that she’d scare Kya away if she said that. 

So, she would let Kya take the lead on this one. She had always been better at these kinds of things. She felt Kya shift her hand so that their fingers now interlocked and she lifted Lin’s knuckles to her lips, kissing them softly, almost like a silent “thank you.”

“I want to be with you,” Kya murmured quite bluntly with a shy smile. 

“I do too,” Lin whispered back. The coffee maker loudly interrupted the intimacy as it finished and Lin reluctantly let go of Kya’s hand. She took the mug out from under the machine as Kya slid off of the countertop and handed it to her before popping her coffee pod into the machine. Kya got whatever cream and sugar she added to her coffee from their places and Lin wondered how she could drink something so overly sweet. 

She watched as Kya leaned back on the counter, taking a deep breath of her coffee with a satisfied smile. Lin had noticed that she did that every morning. Her shoulders would hunch, her nose wrinkled and she closed her eyes as she inhaled the scent of whatever coffee she was fancying lately. It was all the little quirks Kya had that Lin enjoyed. Lin hadn’t noticed the small smile she carried when she turned to get her now finished coffee.

“What are you smiling about?” Kya asked. Lin turned, still smiling, and walked up beside her to get cream from her one coffee. A slight splash was enough for her in contrast to Kya, whose drink looked more like milk than coffee.

“You’re cute,” she said bluntly as she looked Kya up ado down. The older woman’s eyebrows raised as she took a sip of her drink to hide her surprised smile. 

“For some reason hearing you say the word cute is very surprising,” Kya said, leaning off the counter once Lin had finished prepping her coffee. She made her way into the Living Room with a smile tugging her lips.

“I’m full of surprises,” Lin said rather seriously as she followed Kya into the sitting room. Kya had gotten comfortable on the corner of one of the couches, curling her knees under her as she tugged at one of the fuzzy blankets she had bought. She was insistent that Lin didn’t have enough blankets, and frankly Lin hadn’t been in the mood to argue otherwise. “I’m assuming there's still more for us to talk about?” Kya nodded, taking another long sip of her coffee.

“We agree that we want to try this,” Kya pointed a finger at herself, then back at Lin in a waving motion “Correct?” Lin nodded and noted the slight warmth that filled Kya’s complexion. “So how do we want to do that?” 

“I think we take it at a steady pace. I don’t feel a need to take things slow if you don’t,” Lin said quietly. Kya arched an eyebrow but smiled. 

“What did you have in mind?” 

“Your apartment’s going to be done soon, right?” Kya nodded. “I don’t see a point in you moving back into it though,” Lin sipped her coffee and watched from the corner of her eye as Kya seemed to freeze. She smiled and went on. 

“You've already been here for what, a month? We’re both comfortable here and with each other,” Lin went on, dragging her words slightly as she gazed the other woman up and down. “I think it would be nice to have you here longer,” she confessed, feeling a blush fill her cheeks. She looked back at Kya, whose expression had significantly softened. She smiled, but her lower lip poked out in a pout and her eyes were wide like she might cry. 

“Really Lin? You’d be ok with me staying?” Lin wasn’t exactly sure why she would cry at the offer. Sure, she had always liked her space, but she thought she made it adamantly clear that Kya was an exception to that. Frankly, Kya had been an exception to most of Lin’s rule’s ever since they were children. 

Lin nodded and put her half-finished coffee mug on the side table next to her. She gestured for Kya to come closer, adjusting as needed. Kya put her mug down and once she got comfortable beside Lin, she brought the blanket around herself and Lin’s knees. The younger woman wrapped her arm around Kya’s shoulder and planted a soft kiss on her hairline. 

“Who knew you could be such a softy,” Kya murmured with a light laugh.

“You're the only one that knows that,” She leaned forward, removing her hands from Lin’s face and wrapping her arms around the younger woman’s neck, quickly kissing her jaw skin. Lin kissed Kya’s forehead again, smiling all through it, and tightened her grasp around Kya’s shoulders. Holding her was so comfortable, so right. She never wanted to let go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These last few chapters turned out way longer than I even meant for them too, but I doubt you guys mind that. I've really loved writing this fic and have some one-off/shorter fics planned that are set in the same universe that I hope you will enjoy if they get published. I thought of doing one about Kya and Bumi in Highschool (probably pulling the prank that got them in so much trouble), maybe one about Kya and Tenzin when Momo escaped, as well and something with highschool Lin and Kya being awkward teenagers in the late 70's early 80's. I also might have a fic about dinner with Katare planned since someone was interested in that. The epilogue/ch 15 will be written and posted sometime next week.


	15. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been 8 months since Lin and Kya got all of their feelings out in the open and started dating, and life together has become the new normal

“Alright. That wraps everything up for this year. Have a good summer,” Lin called out to her students, who were already getting up and gathering their things. She liked to keep her goodbye’s short and sweet. There wasn’t a point in added pleasantries. She likely wouldn’t have these students again, except for the few that would have to take the course again. Though, there’d be some that would move on to her more optional, advanced class.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Beifong?” a rather quiet voice asked as she gathered papers from her desk. She looked up, slightly surprised to see Mako in front of her. He had been a promising student, and he had done great work all semester. He was a quiet kid, she had noticed. He mostly stayed in the back of the classroom and kept to himself, hurriedly writing down practically every word she said in his notes. She gave him a nod with a smile so small it could have been mistaken as nothing.

“I wanted to thank you for teaching such an interesting course. You’re a great teacher, and I learned a lot this year.” His words came out rushed and anxious, but Lin still appreciated it. She gave him a quick smile and nod before she straightened her back with a hand on her hip. 

“Of course. I’m glad you enjoyed my class. I hope to see you in some of my advanced courses,” She said with an amused wink, reaching out her right hand for a handshake. The boy seemed stunned for a minute, not sure what to do before he smiled and nervously shook her hand. 

“Y-yeah, I will.” he stumbled on his words again, but at least he was smiling. He had a firm hand, lin noted, which was good. It showed professional potential. They let go and he rushed out of the room with a smile and a wave. Lin watched him go, but her gaze shifted to the woman leaning against her lecture hall’s doorway.

She’s wearing a light blue sundress that frames her figure perfectly, fanning out around her hips and cutting off just below her knees. She’s put her silver hair up in a loose messy bun, likely something she did a spur of the moment to keep it out of her face. A few shorter strands that were formal bangs poke out, delicately framing her face. Lin swallows the lump in her throat when she notices the sparkling look in her partner’s eye.

“I didn’t know you were in today,” Lin remarked with a soft smile as she finished packing paperwork and other reports into her bag. Kya pushed off of the doorframe and stood across the lecture hall, meeting Lin from across her desk. She shrugged with a smirk of her own. She put down a box that had been under her arm that Lin hadn’t noticed before. 

“I had a few more things in my old office that need to be moved to my new office.” she shrugged, leaning forward across the desk. She caught Lin’s chin with her thumb and pulled her forward, planting a soft kiss on her lips. It was quick and simple, but Lin couldn't help revel in it. They'd been together since last December, Kya having officially moved in shortly after their shared confession. 

“You ready to go,” Kya asked. She gently stroked Lin’s chin with her thumb before letting go. 

“Do you need to drop that off in your office?” Lin asked, pulling her bag over her shoulder and walking around her desk, acutely aware of Kya’s gaze in her. The older woman shook her head as she leaned down to pick up her box again with a slight grunt, tucking it under her left arm.

“No, I was just going to take this home and put it with my other things in the spare room if that’s alright.”

“I doubt we have company coming anytime soon, so that should be fine,” Lin asked. “Do you have anything you want for dinner?” Leading Kya out of her lecture hall, she locked the door behind them. She saw the gears turning in Kya’s head as she contemplated dinner options. 

“We could go to that Thai place Tenzin suggested the other day,” she suggested turning on her heels in the hallway as Lin finished locking the door. 

“Sounds good to me,”

“I’ll order when we get in the car. It’s on the way home, so we can just stop and pick it up,” Kya offered, pulling out her phone and pulling up the menu for when they would order. With the menu up on her phone, she tucks the device away and makes a grabby motion with her right hand. Lin rolls her eyes but does as she’s told. Kya linked their hands together, bringing their hands to her lips to plant a sweet kiss on Lin’s knuckles. 

“Do we have any plans next week?” Lin asked as she pushed open the department door on the way to their car. She has to squint for a moment at the sudden brightness of the sun. It was early August by now and Republic City had grown much warmer than anyone would have expected. She watched as Kya pursed her lips, thinking their calendar over in her head. 

“I promised Tenzin I would help Pema with the kids while he’s away on the 8th grader's summer trip, but that will only be for a few hours during the day,” Kya listed. “ Then we have dinner with mom next Thursday at her place, and Jinora’s having her birthday that following Sunday.” Lin nodded as they walked, listening to her partner speak, as well as the slightly out of time clicking of Kya’s heals with her footsteps.

“I know you aren't a fan of parties, but I promised Jinora we’d be there. We can leave once the cake and presents are all done if you’d like.” Kya said sweetly, but Lin shook her head. 

“It’s fine, Kya. I like Jinora. She’s sweet and very intelligent for her age. Your dumbass brother, on the other hand, has a habit of getting on my nerves.” Lin said with a joking grin. Kya rolled her eyes and laughed. 

“That can refer to both of my brother’s, frankly.”

“True. I’ll give you that.” 

“Bumi is over the moon about the two of us. I think that was pretty obvious from when he found out anyway. Tenzin, on the other hand…” she trailed off momentarily, “I know he’s trying his best not to show it, but this is jarring for him. But I know he’s trying,” Kya confessed. She got quiet for a moment, biting her lower lip. 

“Hey, I was just kidding around. I love your family, Kya. I always have. I know Tenzin’s just being himself. Any change that he couldn’t prepare for is going to freak him out a bit,” she murmured, squeezing Kya’s hand. Her partner looked up and smiled with a quick nod, a silent “thank you” before she moved onto the next topic.

“But other than that, we have the rest of the month off,” There was something sneaky in Kya’s tone. “Which makes this the perfect time for you to go on a trip with me,” Kya offered. Lin’s brow raised at Kya’s shit-eating grin and she scowled. “Come on! It’s summer! People travel over the summer, it would be fun!” Kya insisted, pressing into Lin’s left shoulder as the younger woman starred in front of her. 

Kya had been pestering her about taking a trip together since they had made their relationship official. Lin’s defense had been to say “maybe this summer,” so that the pestering would cease. Now, it was officially summer, and Kya wouldn’t let up on the subject. 

“Come on love. Run away with me for a week, at the very least,” Kya insisted now, walking backward in front of Lin, they're fingers still intertwined. She had those begging, puppy eyes that Lin could hardly resist and it made the younger woman sight heavily, shaking her head. 

“Fine, how about this. I’ll make up an itinerary of what I think would be fun and we can go over it together before you commit to anything.” Lin sighed once more before it turned into a soft laugh. 

“If you plan out a trip, I’ll go, alright? Just give me a warning before we leave,” she said in a voice akin to a whisper. Her partner stopped walking backward and leaned into Lin, pecking her on the lips in excitement. “I love you,” Lin added with a grin. 

“I love you more,”

“I highly doubt that,” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Returning home, Kya dropped their food on the kitchen counter with a thud before stretching out her arms and yawning comically loud. The older woman always had a flair for the dramatics, even when it was just the two of them. Lin smiled and rolled her eyes, coming up behind her partner and wrapping her arms around the other woman’s stretched-out middle. 

“Why don’t you get comfortable and put something on. I’m going to grab a quick shower and I’ll dish out dinner afterward, ok?” She murmured, nuzzling her nose into the crook of Kya’s neck, kissing the exposed skin gently. She felt her partner’s breath stifle for a moment before Kya made a satisfying sound, similar to a purr.

“That sounds lovely,” she responded, turning around in Lin’s arms so their fronts were flush together. The older woman cupped her cheeks, her fingers gently stroking either side of Lin’s face. In moments like this, Lin felt like she could fall asleep standing up, the feather-light touch of Kya’s fingertips lulling her into a relaxed state that she rarely experienced. She closed her eyes for a drawn-out moment before she felt soft lips press against her jaw. 

“Go shower. You still need to eat before we can go to bed, sleepy,” Kya murmured in her ear. Lin let her eyes flutter open once again and she felt her lips form a look similar to a pout, which her partner out chuckled at. Kya pulled herself out of Lin’s arms, nudging her partner upstairs. “I’ll be right up to change in a minute, promise.”

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lin headed back downstairs, now wearing a loose top and sweaters. It was what Kya liked to call her eveningwear. Her hair was still slightly damp and stringy, but she didn’t mind and pulled it back in a small ponytail to keep it out of her face. She found Kya snuggled on the couch, changed into her own pajamas. The living room was completely dark except for a light in the far corner and the occasional flicker of the television as Kya searched for something to watch. 

Lin smiled as Kya started to mumble something to herself about her film options before she ducked into the kitchen to dish out their food. When Lin returned, Kya sat up, a fuzzy blanket was thrown over her legs. She made a grabby hand as she took her food, settling it in her plate precariously in her lap as she continued flicking through film options. 

“Are you sure you want to watch a movie? You always fall asleep,” Lin joked. Kya shot her a glare in the dark and rolled her eyes. 

“I’m fine. I won't fall asleep,” it was clear she was stifling a yawn as she said it.

“If you say so,” Lin mumbled, taking a bite of her food. Kya finally landed on an animated film that Lin half recognized. “Really? The frozen sequel?” Lin had seen a few scenes from the original when Opal was around eleven and still liked princess movies. Kya gave her a completely serious look as the film started and shrugged. 

“Ikki insisted that it was good,” she said with a wide grin as she shoved an oversized bite of food in her mouth. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kya had fallen asleep with around fifteen minutes left of the movie. She’d finished eating her dinner and curled up beside Lin with her head resting on the younger woman’s folded thigh. When Lin had caught her with her eyes closed she insisted that she was still awake, yet a few minutes later Lin heard the soft, heavy breath that informed her that Kya had indeed fallen asleep. 

She didn’t mind, however. They stayed comfortably nestled on the couch with one too many blankets, the movie winding to an end on the television screen. Lin gently scratched at Kya’s head, her fingers tangling in sparkling silver hair that had come undone from its former bun, spilling over the owner’s shoulders and forehead. 

When the film ended, Lin turned off the television, leaving the two of them in complete darkness except for the lamp in the corner of the room. Lin gazed down at her partner’s sleeping form, peaceful and quiet as she clutched onto her knee like a pillow. She laughed gently before leaning down to sweep some of the hair out of Kya’s eyes, placing a soft kiss on her hairline.

Lin had no intentions of falling asleep herself, but gazing down at her partner, sleep seemed to take hold faster than she could stop it. The gentle strokes of her fingers in Kya’s hair became lazier as periodic blinks slowed. At some point, her eyelids felt too heavy to open again, and this time she let them stay shut. Sleeping on the couch would be terrible for her back, as well as Kya’s, but at the moment she didn’t mind. The Warmth radiating from the body beside her was enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wholeheartedly believe that Kya would make Lin watch movies with her (including children's movies) only to fall asleep before it's over.
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking around and reading this fic! It was so much fun to work on and I'm so happy that people enjoyed it so much! I love this Au a whole lot and have a few more ideas, so expect a couple of shorter fics and oneshots set in this universe in the future! If you want to read more of my work, I have a few oneshots and another series posted that you can check out. I'll be getting back to "I Think I Dreamed About Her" again since this fic is over, so keep an eye out for chapter 21 of that coming soon. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, commenting, and leaving Kudos. I appreciate them all so much!

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts on this so far! 
> 
> I want to play with the idea that Kya has trouble "being tied down" because I forgot that was something she mentioned in the show and it's a little late to mess with that in ITIDAH. 
> 
> Comments and Kudos are greatly appreciated! Have a wonderful day!


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